No Place To Go
by Nyx6
Summary: When Evolution targets The Shield, Lauren is caught between a rock and a hard place. Does she choose her long lost father or her lunatic boyfriend and what happens when the losing side won't accept being told no? Life is about to change forever but who is the biggest baddest wolf of them all? Part 6 of the 'Who Do You Love' series.
1. Misdirection Techniques

**So, since everything has been bobbing along quite nicely in Dean and Lauren's little world, I figure it's about time we throw a** _ **bunch**_ **of angst in. Hope you enjoy this story, it's my favourite one of theirs and I'm super excited to finally be sharing it…**

 **Let me know what you think!**

 ***Crosses fingers***

 **Let's go!**

* * *

 **Misdirection Techniques**

Back when I had worked at the diner in my hometown, one of the waitresses had started dating the head chef. They had made a cute couple and individually I had liked them, but in getting together they had suddenly become the _worst_.

Within the space of two weeks I had caught them _in flagrante_ not once but a dizzying total of six times. Including a make-out session in the freezer. The actual walk-in _freezer_.

How had they not been cold?

But the bottom line for me had been one that was simple. You didn't get romantic when you were in your place of work. It wasn't rocket science – it just wasn't professional – and I had known even then that it would never be me.

Which was why dating Dean had been kind of a revelation, in terms of affection and – more bluntly – in terms of _need_. I yearned for Dean every second I wasn't with him and not just his presence but his _body_ as well. At some point I had morphed into a sexually starved animal and to be honest, I sort of loved it.

Dean _definitely_ did.

It was why – the day my life started to crumble – the pair of us were hidden and very hard at work. Pressed against the wall backstage in the arena and screened by pallet crates, kissing like mad. Dean had his hands flattened over my hip bones and the warmth of his palms burnt in through my dress. In return I had my fingers cupped in over his cheekbones, my tongue across his lips as I pulled him in close. It was messy kissing, hot and desperate as if we might not ever be given another chance and although it had only been a minute since we'd started I was already panting and giddy as well.

" _Mmmm_ ," I moaned into his mouth with a giggle, breaking the kiss with an instinctive, broad smile. Dean pulled back to look at me suspiciously, quirking a brow up,

"What was _that_ noise for?"

"Nothing," I grinned, my fingers sliding upwards and carding through his wild, slicked back locks, "I'm just – you know – I'm just _happy_."

Dean smirked a little in response at me,

"Okay good."

Then, before I had the chance to explain things – as if I really needed to – he kissed me again, with such sudden force that my head hit the brickwork, or at least, _would_ have had it not been pillowed by his hand.

I meant every word of it. I _was_ completely happy. In fact I was ecstatic with the way things had turned out. The past seven months of my life had been crazy, but I only had to look at where I was and who _with_. I got to work in my family business and make out in the corridors with the man I loved the most. Sometimes I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming or – as an alternative – just kiss Dean some more.

"This is kind of naughty," I whispered against his neck line as he _finally_ allowed me to come up for breath, "Doesn't this feel naughty? Making out in the corridor? Where anyone could find us?"

Dean pecked my lips,

"Princess, is this you gettin' kinda _kinky_ on me?"

I shrugged a little,

"What if it is?"

Dean grinned wickedly and dropped one of his hands down. His palm still burnt through me, but in a _very_ different place. It made me shudder and I blew a little breath out and bit my bottom lip until it physically hurt.

"This the kinda thing you had in mind Princess?"

I nodded almost mutely in anticipation,

"Yes."

Gathering up my dress folds, Dean slowly inched his hand up, his fingertips tickling across my inner thighs. All the while his lips were laying kisses on my collarbone, tracing up my neck until they reached my jawline. In response I pressed my hips in against him and he grumbled just a little and gave my skin a gentle nip.

"Kinky little Princess."

It was more a happy murmur and giggling just a little, I dropped my hands down to his belt, fumbling the buckle in my full-bodied excitement and responding to his touches.

 _Come on, come on._

It was already pretty much a fairly wild encounter, by my standards anyway, probably not by his. Never had I ever _done the deed_ in a corridor, with people and danger and a million risks involved. Generally speaking I liked to keep things simple and private and personal. Although not anymore. It was all just part of my sexual awakening, although – despite his frantic kissing – Dean was clearly not so sure.

"You wanna do this right here, right _now_?"

I nodded again, sounding breathless,

"Uh huh."

"Might have to do something about that mouth of yours then Princess," he ground out roughly, "Since you get kinda _loud_."

"Is that a threat or a promise?" I whimpered, trying for sexy but failing pretty hard. Luckily however, the fact it _wasn't_ brazen, seemed to turn Dean on even more and he suddenly dragged another violent kiss from me that made my lips blossom and wilfully throb.

He was just about to sneak his fingers into my underwear when two loud voices suddenly broke the mood, accompanied by the clatter of high heels on floor tiles as a couple of staff members briskly strode by.

"Honestly, some days it's like I never stop moving, I am literally _literally_ run off my feet."

"Oh, I know and _my_ boss is so useless, I mean, get your own dry cleaning picked up, y'know?"

 _Crap._

Instinctively I clutched at Dean's vest top, dropping my head against it like I was _burrowing_ inside. Fortunately we were hidden almost completely by the packing crates but there was simply no denying the sense of horror I felt. Suddenly the thought of public sex with my boyfriend, wasn't so much arousing as a massive turn _off_ and it wasn't until the footsteps had clattered past us and then turned a corner, that I was able to breathe out.

 _Wow_ that was close.

Dean snorted,

"I knew it."

"Knew what?" I frowned at him, lifting my gaze. His blue eyes were staring down at me twinkling and he looked almost amused,

"You're just not that kinda girl."

"What kind?"

He shrugged,

"The whole _against the wall_ kind."

I flushed in embarrassment and stuttered a little,

"But – ,"

Before I could finish however, Dean leaned in closer, covering my mouth – and my protest – with a kiss. It was deep and sensual and altogether soothing. So much so that I almost forgot to breathe. When he broke away, he was very lightly grinning and as I blinked at him blissfully he reached up and thumbed my cheek,

"Lauren, 's okay, no one said you have to be. Fact is, it would probably freak me out if you were."

"It would?" I frowned a little, "Really?"

"Yeah, I'd think I somehow fucked you up – like – I got this perfect apple pie _girl-next-door_ type and turned her into somethin' kinda trashy and just _wrong_."

I giggled at him brightly,

"So – just to recap – you _don't_ want me trashy?"

Dean smoothed my dress out and shook his head,

"Nope."

Then he kissed me again much more lovingly and towed me from our hiding place back out into the world. Generally speaking it was a world I was at home in but that still caught me out every once in a while. The previous night had been no exception.

Wrestlemania XXX.

No big deal, right?

 _Wrong._

From the outset I had been warned that things might get crazy but nobody had told me how wild they would get. Not just on account of the fan base either but up to and including the wrestlers _themselves_. The arena had been packed and the place had been pumping as every last person had whistled and cheered, waving homemade banners and screaming their lungs out in a broiling, spine-tingling rolling wave of sound.

For the most part I had stood in gorilla, doing my usual of handing out towels but I had managed to sneak to the edge of the curtain to spy on The Shield match – which they had easily won.

For the past few weeks they had been tussling with their manager – that is to say _Director of Operations_ – Kane. Night after night he had sent men to needle them including some old buddies but that hadn't lasted long. Kane's putting down had been swift and pretty brutal and I had relished every second of the thing.

I _hated_ Kane.

It was why I led Dean and I to the locker room practically _skipping_ I was so full of glee. Dean followed smirking, clearly thinking I'd gone mental but why in world would I _not_ have worn a grin?

Life was perfect.

Well, pretty _near_ perfect and I couldn't keep that hidden.

Dean grunted,

"So fuckin' cute."

We were turning the corner in the direction of gorilla when we suddenly spotted Stephanie stalking our way. Over the months our relationship had blossomed but the same could by no means be said of my stepmother and Dean. Much like Hunter she put up with him – barely – but that was a situation I was hoping to change. Part of me felt certain that a family meal together or a weekend vacation would straighten things out and I had vaguely been toying with inviting them to Vegas although I hadn't told Dean because I knew he'd just growl.

Still, with my good mood swirling in around me, I didn't let my boyfriend's sudden glower drag me down and instead I tangled my hand in his fingers and squeezed it very mildly,

"Everything okay Steph?"

"Where have you been?" she snapped in our direction, talking to both and neither of us at once, "I need to see you, _now_ , in my office."

"Me?"

" _Both_ of you, the others are already there."

Dean and I exchanged an expression.

 _Others?_

"Um, what _others_ are they?"

She turned on her heel without bothering to answer and began to stalk off back down the hall. Vaguely I wondered how many calories she burnt off by spending her nights hotly pacing around. Probably somewhere in the region of a thousand. Maybe even more on a _really_ good night?

Beside me I heard Dean snort reluctantly and I shot him a quick smile.

 _It's going to be fine._

It wasn't just reluctance though, he was pissed she'd ignored me.

"Come on," I sighed, "Let's just find out what she wants."

As it turned out Steph hadn't been joking when she told us that the _others_ were already there, because as she swept like a whirlwind into the office we were greeted by a stern-looking Roman and Seth. The room itself had been done up like a brothel – or what I _assumed_ a brothel looked like – one of those nice high end one for business types with walls draped in fabric and deep blue up-lights. There wasn't a desk but there _were_ comfy sofas and a camera crew clustered off to one side.

I bit back a groan.

I _hated_ TV spots – almost as much as I hated Kane – although as it turned out they weren't quite ready to roll yet which apparently meant we were waiting for one more.

Loosening his grip, Dean headed for his teammates and took a spot beside them to stand and look firm. In response, I folded down onto the couch arm and beamed across at him starting to feel _hot_. I loved when Dean and the guys were in work mode, I loved how he looked when he put on _the face_. The face that warned anyone from moving against him and viewed the world with a measure of scorn. It was _possible_ that the expression was part of the reason that my father and Stephanie didn't like him much but to flip that the expression was _also_ the reason that I simply adored Dean as much as I did. _That_ was the face that protected me from danger and _that_ was the face that made me feel loved. He only brought it out when he was with people he cared about and there were only three people he ever used it for.

 _Seth, Roman, Me._

That was everyone.

It was a very special thing to be part of his group.

For a moment no one spoke and the silence floated round us, threatening to spill over into an awkward boiling soup. It actually made me tug at my necklace, idly shifting the pendant up and down. It was something I had taken to doing when I was anxious and on hearing the _zipping_ noise, Steph turned to look.

The pendent was one Dean had given me for Christmas, made from an earring my late mother had once loved. The other one had gone missing one day somewhere and so the survivor had sat in a box, all unloved. Then Dean had transformed it into something I could use and quite frankly, since that moment, it had rarely been off.

"Um, sorry," I whispered, dropping it down again as the noise seemed to beat a path into her head. Again Dean's eyes narrowed in instinctive defensiveness but luckily the door swung and the final man came in.

Well, I _say_ luckily, what I mean is _un_ luckily because instead of my father or anybody useful – hell, at that point I would have even taken _JBL_ – the person we were waiting on was bigger and more frowny, with a scrunched up face and the temperament to match. It was someone I hated and had hoped to see the back of.

It was someone we _all_ hated.

 _God damn it._

It was Kane.

At the sight of the big man stepping through the doorway I instantly shifted myself onto the other couch, sliding off the cushions and towards where Dean was standing and shuffling past the cameras to take a safer feeling pew. The way my boyfriend's shoulders relaxed just a little told me that he thought I had made the right move and he gradually unfurled his tightly clenched fingers and moved them to his vest in a more casual hold.

The tension in the room was practically palpable and zinging back and forth across the purple cloth lined walls. Sensing it, the cameras began rolling on instinct and the second that they had triggered, Steph set off as well.

"I don't care what happened between you at Wrestlemania," she offered up shortly, her tone sounding clipped. She was standing in between them in no-nonsense _boss mode_ , waving her hands warningly and just generally holding court. Frankly it was kind of an impressive performance, like a mother with naughty children. I was just glad she left me out, "Because what really matters – what's _really_ important – is that Triple H becomes the fourteen time world heavyweight champion."

I blinked a little.

Huh?

Since when? I had spoken to my father earlier that evening – stopping in to see him as I always liked to do – in fact I had seen him _last_ night _and_ phoned him. At no point had he made any mention even in _passing_ of going for a belt.

It was all completely new.

Stephanie however, wasn't done with her lecture, jabbing a finger towards the ground,

" _Tonight_."

In response to it Dean let his eyes flicker briefly, his tongue moving wildly around the inside of his mouth. I could tell he was trying to bite a retort down – trying really, really hard – which was why I was grateful when he just huffed a sigh out and looked back up silently.

Yes, _atta_ boy.

Somewhere in front of him Steph was still talking but I vaguely got distracted. Dean's dimples were out and as usual even in the midst of swirling tension they captured me completely.

Holy _crap_ he was cute.

"That all sounds great," Seth put in lazily, glancing towards his teammates as if for support, "But I – I feel like – _Kane_ – you're missing some buddies. Where are the _New Age Outlaws_ pal?"

He was referring none too subtly to Billy Gunn and Road Dogg, their opponents at Wrestlemania who had been brutally put down.

"Come on man," Dean snickered back at him, loving the ribbing, "We already know. As long as we're around I don't think we'll see them."

 _God._

How could he be so attractive when smug?

"I'll see to that personally," Roman chimed in finally and at the three-on-one teasing, Kane almost completely _burst_. In fact it was almost impressive that he didn't although there was simply no ignoring the words _spat_ across his teeth, accompanied by a warning pointy sort of finger and a pair of small eyes narrowed further by rage.

"You three don't know you're on thin ice do you?"

Stephanie held a pacifying hand up,

"Kane – ,"

"Because Triple H _sees_ you for what you are. Nameless, faceless, expendable _pawns_."

It was entirely possible he was having a breakdown and sensing it, Stephanie tried to cool him again.

"Kane – ,"

"What? You think you can just _go around_ and beat up Triple H's friends? _He thought_ that you would learn your lesson. In fact when I had you _decimated_ on Smackdown a couple of weeks ago he was the one that told me to do so – ,"

He was interrupted by a sudden shrill screeching as Steph ramped swiftly right up to _def con five_ ,

" _Kane_."

But it didn't really matter, she could have kept _on_ shouting, because he'd already said it and the rest of us had heard.

Hunter had set the _New Age Outlaws_ on The Shield boys.

My father had ordered his friends to whale on Dean.

All of a sudden I felt sick and shaken. It couldn't be true. It had to be a lie? Hunter would never have done that to me. He would never have agreed to hurt the man that I loved. I sucked a very audible breath in and Steph's eyes flickered over and then just sort of _stayed._ The look on her face was weary and heated but there was also a sort of hesitant worry there as well.

That's when I knew that Kane wasn't lying.

Looking back on it, that was when it all fell apart.

With the cameras still rolling almost gleefully however, Steph had few options but to gamely press on, pushing Kane back with the force of her shouting like she came with gale force warnings.

She probably should have done.

"There is an _injustice_ here and no one understands that better than the three of you."

She was pointing at the guys and in response they shifted hotly, each them nearly pulsating with rage. Despite that though, they continued to listen, fighting down the urge to erupt which they did well. In fact if it weren't for the fact that they were glowering, I _might_ have even thought that the moment was done. That they had swept the whole _Hunter deal_ under the carpet but that wasn't likely.

Those guys could bear a grudge.

Somewhere in the background Steph was still talking, mostly about Daniel Bryan and his threat. Somehow she was trying to paint him as the villain but even as a _Helmsley_ I wasn't buying her sell. Daniel Bryan was a pretty awesome feller and had always been super _super_ nice to me. Sure he had always had beef with my boyfriend but then lots of people did.

My dad made one more.

"So _tonight_ ," Steph bit out, drawing me back again as she clearly built up to her climactic end, "You are going to be on the same page here, because what the boss wants, he _gets_. Am I clear?"

"Yes."

The response was mumbled from Kane, looking shame-faced and no sooner was it issued than he turned and shuffled out, his eyes on the carpet looking _kind of_ like a school child who had been scolded by a teacher for pushing another kid. The Shield on the other hand, were stormily silent and so Steph whirled back warningly to repeat it,

"Am I clear?"

For a minute I wondered if any one of them would answer her but then finally – _finally_ – Roman spoke up, eyeing his boss with a stubborn expression and grumbling a word out.

" _Crystal_."

Mic drop.

Together the guys began to stomp from the office with Dean hanging back to hold out his hand. Instantly I slid off the cushions and grabbed it, entwining our fingers like a lifeline.

Steph looked up,

"Lauren? Can I please have a word with you in private?"

It was obvious that she wanted to try and calm things down. Maybe even explain what had happened but quite frankly she had nothing I wanted to hear. My father had purposefully set men on my boyfriend and had then kept it from me. I didn't know which was worse. But what I _did_ know was that I didn't want to hear it – not there and then – and so I shook my head.

"Not now."

"But sweetie – ," she countered, stepping forward a little to have Dean cut her off.

"She _said_ not now."

Then he towed me from the office with my whole body shaking and my heart beating wildly.

Everything was wrong.

* * *

 **How could I not try to cover this storyline? But yeah, sorry Lauren...um...my bad?**


	2. The Semi-Calm Before The Storm

**Aww, so glad you guys are happy to have these two back still. Seriously, this story is all about the drama!**

 **Mandy, Hey girl! Glad you're liking the first chapter, can't wait (literally can't wait but have to) for you tomorrow the rest and let me know what you think! Things are going to get real for poor Lauren in this one. I know, I know, I'm too mean!**

 **Minnie1015, I have no idea what's been happening with the reviews and alerts in this site recently, but it's really annoying! Glad you tracked this down though! This one is twice as long as the last one but heavier too (you will see what I mean!)**

 **xXBalorBabeXx, Yeah, trust me when I say that hunter screwing up is pretty much the theme of this story, although everyone screws upmarket one point or another...except Seth and Roman actually, they manage to come through unscathed!**

 **Skovko, I know, but didn't you just love cocky Authority era Stephanie and Hunter? Always so sure that they were in the right and not afraid to let everyone know it! Naturally they would think they could square it away and make it all fine!**

 **Morrowsong, Hey, so glad you're still with this and hopefully this one will be enough to keep you glued to these guys going forward as well! Thanks you so much for your reviews, they make me keep wanting to write these crazy things!**

 **Raze Olympus, Oh you *bats hand coyly* I wouldn't call myself a great author, but I'm certainly not going to stop you from saying it! Super glad you're here again for this next ride (and rest assured, this one is crazy). It's also twice as long as the last!**

 **Moxley Gal1, I totally hear you, but then poor old Lauren has been wanting a father forever, so having to choose between them isn't going to be so easy for her. Except for the fact that Dean is gorgeous however, she isn't about to forget that!**

 **AngelsDestiny22, Yay! Super glad the first chapter managed to hook you in! Here's hoping the rest lives up to it. I totally love this installment of the Lauren/Dean saga because it has everything in it that I like the most, mostly meaning lots of hurt/comfort!**

 **Here comes the fallout!**

* * *

 **The Semi-Calm Before The Storm**

I was pulled along the corridors in a daydream – or else a living nightmare, I wasn't sure which – with Dean not slowing his furious pace until we once again passed through their locker room door.

The second we were in, Seth slammed and locked it as a sign to the world.

 _Do Not Disturb._

The three of them looked _murderous_ , almost red-eyed with fury and the tension was thick enough to have been cut by a knife. They were _pre-match_ Shield. All twitchy and antsy, like bandits before a bank heist or a wolf pack before a kill.

"God damn _Hunter_ man," Seth spat out hotly, waving exaggerated hands in the air,

"We just got played," Roman grumbled back at him.

I heard but felt none of it.

I couldn't.

I was numb.

Despite having held my hand in the corridors, once we had arrived Dean had quickly let it go, preferring instead to wrathfully pace the locker room and not wanting to have to drag me along. Unlike his brothers he was almost _mute_ with anger and I didn't even blame him since – frankly – so was I. His fingers were jerking around angrily on his collar bone, tapping out a rhythm that only he could know and his face twitched in and out of hate-filled expressions as the blue eyes _fizzled_.

I'd rarely seen him so mad.

In response to it – and shock and the whole _thing_ really – I sank down onto one of the benches with a thud, landing a little more heavily than I had banked on and blowing out a dazed sounding, mildly startled _oof_.

I felt completely and utterly responsible.

How could I have done otherwise when the culprit was my dad?

My _father_.

The man I had given my trust to and – if I was honest – a part of my _heart_ as well. Business was business and I got how much that meant to him but he had set out to physically _punish_ my boyfriend and no matter how he saw it, that was _not_ okay. In fact, it felt a little like I no longer knew him and as the thought rippled over me, I sucked a shaky breath in.

 _Ugh._

"I – I'm sorry," I mumbled in the silence, watching as three separate faces swung in.

"What for?" Dean blinked,

"My dad," I shrugged, "I'm sorry."

I honestly didn't know what else I _could_ say.

In response to it however, Dean huffed a weary breath out and crossed the space towards me before dropping down into a crouch.

"Not your fuckin' fault alright Lauren, y'hear me?

"Yeah but – ,"

"No," Dean grunted, "No _buts_."

Reaching over he hooked my chin with a finger and then very gently drew my head up. His eyes were still shining with unbridled fury and the line of his brow was drawn in tight, but within the expression there was support and vague sympathy and it made me feel better.

It made me feel loved.

Moving his fingers away from my face, he instead let me greedily snatch up his hand, needing to ground myself _physically_ against him like I was trying to weigh anchor in the midst of a storm.

"So what do we do here?" Seth put in suddenly, reminding me again that his teammates were there, "God damn _Hunter_ man. He played us like _morons_."

Roman grumbled back at him,

"Maybe we are."

"How do you figure?"

The Big Man shrugged mildly,

"We fell for it right? I mean, ain't that why we're here?"

For a second – or longer – no one said anything, each of us lost in our own private thoughts. Mine in particular were downright _screaming_ at me and I shook my head a little like I could make them calm down. Noticing it Dean squeezed my hand a little tighter and frowned in suspicion,

"Hey, Princess? You alright?"

"Uh huh," I nodded, hardly convincing but saying it anyway, "I should go talk to him."

"Who, _Hunter_?" Seth barked,

"I mean, he _is_ my father."

Dean shook his head at me fiercely,

"No."

"Well I can't just sit here Dean. I need answers. I need to ask him why he did what he did."

"We already _know_ Lauren," Dean fired back icily, his blue eyes darkening, "You were right there, you heard Kane. Your old man thought we were gettin' too comfortable – thought we were gettin' ahead of ourselves."

I bit my lip down heavily,

"But you're my _boyfriend_."

Dean smirked a little,

"Damn right I fuckin' am."

"She _means_ why didn't he tell her?" Seth asserted hotly, "Why didn't he do this shit another way?"

Dean rolled his eyes,

"Yeah man, I got that."

Roman blew a sigh out,

"Look, it's not a _bad_ idea. I'm thinking some answers might be a good thing at this point. I mean, we're in kind of _unchartered territory_ here."

Everyone else – it seemed – was on my side with the suggestion but Dean remained firm. He wasn't going to budge. His fingers tightened a little closer in around me as if he thought I might suddenly up and run and although his eyes remained locked on my expression they still darkened exponentially at his seemingly wayward friends.

"Fuckin' forget it, alright? She's not doin' it. Princess, I'm not lettin' you get anywhere _near_ the guy."

"Why?" I frowned,

"Because I don't trust him."

"What's he gonna do Dean?" Seth let out a snort, clearly thinking his brother had gone loco although fortunately Roman at least stayed quiet, "Lock her up in a god damn _tower_ somewhere?"

Dean growled back on repeat,

"Don't trust his ass."

"So what the hell _are_ we planning on doing?" Roman asked flatly, watching Dean's face. A flash of excitement or raw anticipation darted through him.

"Got a few ideas,"

"That right? Like what?"

Dean shrugged idly, slowly standing up again but making sure to keep a tight hold of my hand,

"First things first though – before we do _anythin'_ – you're goin' back."

"Huh?" I blinked, "Back where?"

He pulled me onto my feet,

"The hotel room."

I opened my mouth,

"But – ,"

"No arguments, okay?" Dean towed me close to him, grumbly and protectively, flattening the palms of his hands against my hips, "I need to know you're safe, alright Princess? I won't be able to focus out there if you're not."

"Focus on what?" I questioned in a small voice, my heart beating loudly, "What's going on?"

Dean grunted back at me,

"Nothin' to worry 'bout."

But I wasn't buying it.

"Hey, don't shut me out. Are you – ," I paused, "Are you going to hurt Hunter?"

The fact that his gaze swung away wasn't good and as my whole system chilled I instinctively reached my hands up and laid them on either side of his face, twisting his head until his eyes were back on me and he could see my sincerity.

Okay, my alarm.

"Lauren – ," he sighed but I swiftly beat him to it, pleading openly,

" _Please_ don't hurt my dad."

Around us the locker room had fallen into silence although his teammates were both listening. How could they not? Dean's blue eyes burnt into mine feelingly and I could see he was struggling between his anger and what was right. No way did he _ever_ want to cause me more heartache but at the same time he couldn't just let the betrayal go. Dean Ambrose was a man who was frequently called a lunatic and he painted the exterior of guy who didn't care. But he _did_ care – fiercely – about me and my happiness and that was my trump card.

I whined again,

" _Please Dean_?"

He paused for a second and then threw a growl out, rolling the sound across his teeth as he sighed,

" _Fine_."

"You won't hurt him?"

"Won't lay a hand on him."

"You promise?"

Dean groaned loudly,

"I fuckin' _promise_ , alright?"

My body sagged against him in overwhelming gratitude and I laid my head against his chest,

"Thank god."

He made a little noise – a wry sort of snorting sound – but then folded his arms around me and pulled me in tight. The smell of his aftershave surrounded me like a blanket and I drank it in as if without it I might die. We stood like that for a minute in silence just taking the time to enjoy the loving hold, then Dean sighed and gently pushed me back away from him, giving me a firm look,

"Go back to the hotel."

"Um, how?"

There was a jangling from behind us and I turned and then squeaked as Seth pretty roughly threw me the keys. They whipped past my head and Dean reached out and caught them, stating the obvious,

"Take the rental car."

"So then how will you guys get back?" I frowned up at him, watching him shrug,

"Don't worry about us."

"I worry about _you_ ," I tiptoed up to kiss him before smirking a little evilly, "Them? Not so much."

" _Hey_ ," Seth barked as Roman chuckled deeply, "Ambrose, straighten your damn girlfriend out."

"Tempting," Dean grinned wickedly down at me, bending in for a sweet goodbye kiss, "Might just take you up on that suggestion."

Seth groaned wearily,

"Enough. Forget I asked."

To be honest I could have stayed in the locker room surrounded by their chatter for the rest of the night. It was comfortable and familiar being there with them and I knew at the hotel I would only pace and fuss. Idly I wondered if I could hide away somewhere. Maybe secretly stay instead of actually going back? Dean however seemed wise to my musings and tapped my ass lightly,

"Lauren? _Go_."

Letting out a sigh I gave into his direction and shuffled hesitantly off towards the door. I paused on the threshold, my fingers on the handle and turned back vaguely,

"You won't – ,"

"Touch your dad? _No_. I promised didn't I? Trust me Princess. I won't put a hand on the guy, alright?"

Then – as I nodded – he fixed me a look of warning and I sighed one last time, drank in their faces and stepped out. It was safe to say that I wasn't feeling positive but Dean had assured me and that settled my mind.

Dean wouldn't lie to me.

I trusted him implicitly.

My father might have hurt me, but Dean would _never_ lie.

It was a sentence I was repeating damn near religiously as I turned the corner towards the spacious parking lot which was filled with liveried trucks and gleaming vehicles among which – somewhere beneath the street lights – was ours.

In the end though I made it only one step from the building before a hand grabbed me tight and forcefully spun me round.

 _What the hell?_

Randy Orton – of all people – was staring back at me and at the look on his face, I tensed in alarm. Next to Kane in terms of who I hated _The Viper_ stood out as a clear second choice. There was something about him something unsettling and I had never warmed to him or taken him into my heart. Which was probably why I shook him off roughly.

Well, actually I didn't but I sure as hell tried,

"Let _go_ Randy."

"Now why would I do that, huh?"

Blue orbs stared back at me and I shivered a breath in. Unlike Dean's there wasn't anything in them. His eyes – like him – were dead inside.

"Because I asked you to," I pressed on regardless, as if common sense would work.

It didn't.

He laughed.

"How badly do you want it? I mean – what – you gonna make me?"

I tried to square my shoulders,

"If I have to," I replied, "I've learn some stuff in the past few months here. I'm not defenceless."

"Then show me some moves."

For someone bizarre reason I wasn't quite sure of, I hadn't expected Randy to actually call me out. Which was stupid really. He was _Randy_ freakin' _Orton_. The undisputed King of the Dicks.

"Well," I blustered, trying to tug my arm again and unsurprised to find it still stuck in his grip, "As a matter of fact I'd rather not hurt you."

He smirked at me,

"Yeah, I'm _real_ worried about that."

"You should be," I bit back, "My boyfriend _is_ a wrestler."

Randy shrugged a little,

"If you can call him that."

He must have known the sentence would get to me and so accordingly I tried my best not to react. But I had never been the world's greatest amateur actress nor could I pretend that I wasn't deeply hurt. Whenever anyone aimed _anything_ Dean's way, I just couldn't help the instinct to fight back. I was stupidly, crazily proud of my boyfriend and so the urge to protect him was fierce and innate. It was also sometimes a little bit destructive, as I pretty much proved with my fiery response,

"He's better than you are."

Randy quirked a brow at me, something more than arrogance growing in his gaze. It was deeper and more subtle and suggestive.

I didn't like it.

Not that I had the chance to get away.

"Are you sure about that?" he purred stepping closer, not giving me the option of backing myself up, "Are you sure that Ambrose is better than me Lauren? You've never even seen me really perform."

"I have I – ,"

"Not _off_ camera you haven't," Randy swiped his free hand across his lips, "Behind closed doors."

My whole body stiffened.

I didn't like where this was going and so tried to make that obvious by pulling on my arm, attempting this time to _twist_ it from his fingers which succeeded in leaving me with a mild chafing burn.

"I mean it Randy," I stuttered a little, screwing my face up in pain, " _Let me go_."

"Where?"

"What?"

Randy sighed,

" _Where_ are you going?"

I faltered a little.

"Um – ,"

 _Oh crap._

If I told him that I was leaving early for the evening then there was no earthly way he wouldn't want to know why and given the whole _couldn't act to save my life_ deal, I knew that if I lied then I would probably mess it up.

Dean had something planned – some kind of retribution – which would possibly include the so-called _Viper_ as well. It kind of figured really since Randy was Hunter's favourite. As in _favourite_ favourite.

The son he'd never had.

Deep down it was probably another reason I disliked him. Knowing that my father and he were so close. More than once I had wondered whether my father would have preferred it if Randy had been his kid instead of ending up with a girl. Not that I doubted my old man loved me – anyone who was anyone knew that he did – more that it stoked up wild insecurities that I wasn't very happy with.

Being a daughter was still new.

In some ways it felt like Randy was spoiling that. Like he was the semi-adopted brother I'd never wanted to have. It was why his ever tightening grip around my elbow was giving me more than just general alarm. There was something salacious and hungry about it, like he didn't follow the non-romantic _adopted family_ thing.

"Trouble in paradise?"

"Huh?" I blinked at him, snapping out of my daze with a frown, "What does that mean?"

"Is that why you're leaving? Some little lover's tiff with Deano?"

He was smirking again – as freaking _always_ – and I glowered in response to it,

"No."

"You sure? Because honestly Lauren, you could do a lot better."

I sighed,

 _Not this again._

"Really? Like you?"

My tone was dripping with levels of sassiness that I was frankly a little startled to find I possessed, but rather than dampen his appetite however, the snarky derision made him ever more hot. Stepping even closer, he backed me up into the brickwork, my spine banging suddenly up against it with a thud. He still had my arm and I couldn't twist away from him but I had to do _something_.

I just needed to work out what.

"Think about it Lauren, we could rule the whole company."

Hunter and Stephanie rebooted?

" _God_ no."

The thought of it alone made me physically shudder but as usual The Viper didn't seem to catch on, continuing to move himself in a little closer until he was totally pressed up to me with his groin against my hip.

 _Shit._

There was a growing bulge that I was _not_ keen to dwell on and as my stomach flipped over I struggled again, violently trying to yank my arm away from him while attempting to bring my knee up, which he blocked.

"Come on Lauren, this is what your dad wants."

I stopped very briefly and blinked at him,

"What?"

"He knows that you're wasting yourself on fucking _Ambrose_ , I've heard him say it a million times. What Hunter wants, Hunter gets around here. You really haven't worked that out by now?"

For a second I merely stared at him, drinking his words in and trying to figure out if he was lying to me or not. With Randy it was never very easy to figure but I got the sense that – _this_ time – he was telling me the truth.

 _God damn it all._

A tiny little something seemed to suddenly snap inside of me at the continued waves of bullshit I was hearing from my dad. First he sent some guys to beat The Shield up? Then he was talking about my boyfriend behind my back? It was a lot to take in within the space of an hour and I was just about done with hearing it for the night.

Which was way – before I even knew what I was doing – I had drawn my hand back and whipped it through the air, driving my palm with real force against his cheekbone and watching as Randy reeled back in pure shock.

 _Oh dear god._

What the hell had I done that for?

When his face swung back, the left hand side of it was red. In fact I could see the marks of my fingers and as his eyes flashed darkly I shivered in dread. It was entirely possible that he was going to kill me, which is why I jolted a little when he laughed. Not a loud roaring or anything truly happy but a grudging, impressed, still _very creepy_ laugh. Stepping back a little, he suddenly let go of me and I stumbled under the force of it, exhaling in relief.

"Well what do you know? You've got some moves after all."

I tried to shrug casually,

"Um – _yep_ – I told you so."

"You just get more and more interesting, you know that?"

I glowered in response to him,

"Walk away now, _walk away_."

Fortunately to my total surprise, he _did_ do, holding his hands in the air and backing up. His eyes were still raking over my body and he was still smiling eerily but evidently he was done. I waited until he was about ten feet away from me, then turned on my wildly shaking legs and scuttled off, virtually sprinting away from the brickwork and hearing little else beyond the jangling of the keys.

Once I hit our rental, I vaulted up into it – which I would have had to do anyway since the thing was so tall, but for the first time ever, I made it without assistance – before turning around and slamming the door.

 _Thunk._

A split second later I had triggered the central locking and finally feeling safe, I sat back with a sigh.

My head was everywhere. It was upset and bewildered not to mention _hurt_ all at once. My father had lied to me, my boyfriend was furious and I had just been felt up by the company's top star. All in all it had _not_ been a good day and nor was it over.

The night wasn't done.

Back inside the building they were midway through the taping with The Shield on the rampage and I couldn't help but wonder what in the world was going on. There was no way I would be able to get back in the arena and with Randy somewhere lurking I wouldn't have felt safe. My only option to find out what was happening was to get back to the hotel room and turn the TV on and so firing up the rental, I pulled from the parking lot, my hands still shaking as I clutched the wheel tight.

Little did I know that those wild emotions were nothing in the scheme of things.

The worst was yet to come.

* * *

 **Ugh, Randy!**

 **Next chapter, things go from bad to worse and Dean does something he might wish he hadn't...**


	3. Our First Fight

**Title on this chapter is pretty self-explanatory but there's a whole** _ **lot**_ **of stuff going on in this one. Hope you enjoy it!**

 **Sodapop25, Glad you're still sticking with us, have I ever mentioned I love having you around?**

 **xXBalorBabeXx, Totally agree, not only does Randy need to be slapped but he needs to be slapped many, many times! Especially given what's still to come in this story. Maybe by the end you'll want to do more than just slap him!**

 **Morrowsong, Got a lot going on in this installment of the story, but yeah, things are already starting to hot up. This chapter is lots of angst and drama, so hopefully you're going to enjoy reading some of that!**

 **Wolfgirl2013, Haha, your original** _ **uh oh**_ **is definitely right and I have a whole bunch more uh oh's to come with this story as well! Super glad you're enjoying it though!**

 **Minnie1015, Randy is** _ **such**_ **a good bad guy, as in seemingly no redeeming features whatsoever. He and Bray Wyatt are my favourite bad guys to write because they're both too creepy (would never have guessed from my stories would you?!)**

 **AngelsDestiny22, She can be a spitfire when she needs to be! I'm trying to keep this storyline as close to what actually happened (on screen) as I can, but let's just say that for the off-TV stuff, I've pretty much cut loose and gone kinda wild!**

 **Skovko, As ever you are totally on my wavelength girl! Dean's promise has certain potential caveats involved. But as for Randy, well he's just Randy! After this, you might prefer Bray!**

 **Mandy, Oh yeah, totally bumpy ride, but then you wouldn't expect anything less from these two would you?! If Dean and Lauren had a quiet life, it wouldn't be them!**

 **Kayla English, Hello! Self defence is definitely an excuse he can go with, but Dean thinks he's got an even cleverer plan than that. Unfortunately Lauren disagrees on that point…**

 **Dean's in the doghouse...**

* * *

 **Our First Fight**

"Sweetie, it sounds like a complete and utter shit storm," Kelly intoned down the phone with a huff, "A total, gigantic, unrelenting _shit storm_."

I sighed in agreement with her bluntness,

"I know."

"I mean, how could Hunter _do_ that to you? Knowing how much you care about Dean? Because he might care about his business and everything but at some damn point, he has to care about _you_."

As had been expected, my best friend was furious and providing the angry ranting that I had been too shocked to add. Kelly had long been the voice to my muteness and when she got going, there was no stopping her.

"Yes but – ,"

"Twice now Laurie, _twice now_ he's done this – picking something else when he should have picked you and I know he's your father and you love him all that jazz, but I'll be honest, I want to put my foot up his ass."

She would have done too, without a moment's hesitation, which was why it was a good thing that she wasn't there now. Instead she was back in our hometown in Wisconsin, with her husband and my godson having to watch it all unfold.

"Kelly, I'm not sure violence is the answer."

"Maybe not, but it would make me feel better about it all."

At some point during the revelation of my paternity and my subsequent getting together with Dean, my best friend and her husband had become big fans of wrestling, ostensibly to allow them to keep an eye on me – of course, the arm porn and the girls in shorts had helped things – the upshot of which was having an informed backup team. Kelly always knew what was happening when I called her and this time was no different.

She was _vengeful_ for me.

"Oh look," I commented, my tone somewhat absent as I stared at the screen, "Here's Randy now."

I had turned on the taping almost the second I'd slammed the door shut, flopping down on the bed and waiting heart-in-mouth for Dean. Unfortunately – or maybe _fortunately_ – I'd yet to see The Shield boys and the show was almost done.

Perhaps he'd changed his mind?

"Well don't get me started on _that_ unfeeling bastard," Kelly snarled hotly, "After what he did to you tonight? I'm gonna add him to my list of guys to fuck up."

I snorted a little wryly,

"Okay, so how will you do that?"

"Cut his balls off I was thinking, maybe cook them in front of his eyes."

"Sounds a little kinky."

"So what? He deserves it. Frightening you like that. The asshole has some nerve."

Back on the screen both Randy and Batista were swaggering their way with snide faces towards the ring, zeroing in on an outnumbered Daniel Bryan who was seemingly prepared but never really stood a chance.

 _Yikes._

Sure enough, the attack was brutal and only got worse when Kane showed up, stalking to ringside like a tie-wearing executioner and adding in a chokeslam for good measure as well.

"Oh _come on_ ," I hissed in frustration, feeling slightly nauseous, "Daniel's such a nice guy."

"Nice doesn't really butter parsnips in your business,"

"No," I murmured, "But – ,"

Then I stopped.

 _Oh god._

Throughout the arena the lights dimmed a little and were replaced by green flashes and a huge burst of sound. Two words darted overtly across the titantron, but I didn't need to read them to know they said _The Game_.

"Is that – ?" Kelly asked, the question left hanging and I nodded pretty pointlessly, voice croaking,

"Yes it is."

My father was making his way out to ringside, my stepmother tottering faithfully behind. In hindsight I probably should have known it was coming but for some reason seeing him was still a surprise, not least because he wasn't wearing his jacket but was dressed in his ring gear which I hadn't much seen. He didn't really look anything close to my parent in his black trunk garb, but more like an oiled up, glowering _bear_.

"Guess we know who's going to win _this_ match then."

I shook my head helplessly,

"He can't, it isn't fair."

I couldn't understand it.

How was it winning when three other men had beaten Daniel down first? How would my father be the actual champion if the entire damn universe knew he was a cheat? Did the belt mean so much to him that he was happy to destroy things? Not least among which was what his only child thought. Because that was the outcome – I was losing my faith in him.

How could my father do something so _wrong_?

"Laurie, switch off."

"What?"

"You don't need to see this, I'll keep on watching but you should turn it off."

Kelly was using her no-nonsense _mom voice_ and in a bewildered sort of haze I did what she said. Almost instantly the room was plunged back into a half-light and I took a deep breath.

Okay, she was right.

"Feel better?"

"Uh huh,"

"I'll tell you what's happening but I'll spare the gory bits, you don't need to hear that shit right now."

Dropping back onto the bed with a grumble, I stared up blankly at the ceiling's white lines, tracing the cornicing around the room with intensity and trying my hardest to clear my mind.

Maybe I was overreacting?

I mean, this was the wrestling world after all. Dean, Seth and Roman they were all jerks on camera but in real-life they were loveable and often quite chill. It was almost like some strange sort of veil fell over them the minute they swung their way through the ring ropes. Something happened to exaggerate their characters.

The same was true for my father as well.

He was the still the same man I had met all those months back and something like this wouldn't change that, right?

"The referee is refusing to start the match up. Oh, no wait, Steph's shouting – yep – here it goes."

Who was I kidding? It totally did.

The Hunter I knew didn't care about his _own_ goals, he cared about the business and that had made things okay. Even when he had been punishing geriatrics or was threatening people's families he had done it all for Vince. He had done it to make sure that the company kept rolling and providing for its workforce and I had gotten behind that.

This time though?

This time it was different.

This time it wasn't about _anything_ but him.

"He's doing the _yes_ chant," Kelly sighed heavily, "Looks like it's going to be a brutal – ,"

She stopped. Even across the phone I could hear the swirling tension and the roar of the crowd above a whole lot of noise. Something was happening and I sat up again quickly, gripping the phone,

"Kelly, what's wrong?"

"Oh good lord, you're not going to like this."

"Um, okay, not going to like _what_?"

"Dean – ," she answered, making my heart flip, "That is, I mean, _The Shield_ boys are coming out."

Scrambling across the covers I snatched the remote up and pressed a _bunch_ of buttons trying to turn the screen back on. It burst into life with a sudden scream of noisiness and I winced and frantically brought the sound right down.

"Laurie? Are you watching?"

"Uh huh," I nodded simply and Kelly didn't argue.

This I _had_ to see.

Sure enough Dean and the boys were down at ringside with their faces covered in their eerie skull masks. The night before when they had worn them at Wrestlemania, they had given me goosebumps only now it was chills. Those were the masks they wore when they were angry and had come out with the purpose of settling a score. Last night they had left Kane and his buddies in pieces and now there they were standing staring down my dad.

 _Oh god._

"He promised me," I whispered across the phone line, "He promised he wouldn't hurt him."

"Who did?"

" _Dean_."

"Well, maybe he's just down there to – you know – _talk_ to him," Kelly offered vaguely as the tension ramped up. Batista, Randy and Kane were on the apron, with my father inside the ring and Steph hovering outside. Daniel Bryan was on his back looking injured but I only very vaguely saw any of that. The majority of my focus was channelled on my boyfriend, watching as the three of them stripped their masks off.

"He _promised_ me."

"Then he'll stick to it Laurie," Kelly reassured me, "He loves you too much."

My heart was in my throat. I didn't want to watch it but at the same time neither could I remotely look away. Hunter was trying to keep the two factions separate but even I knew they were reaching the point of no return. The Shield boys clambered quietly up onto the apron and from there on in, the writing was on the wall.

"Shit," Kelly barked, as the six men stepped in closer, with Hunter still between them, trying hard to back them up, "This is getting real."

I glanced at the ceiling, pleading with her silently.

 _Mom, don't let things fall apart._

But not even divine intervention could help me because the next thing I knew, Roman had launched and driven a spear right into my dad.

" _No_ – ."

From there on in, the whole scene was chaotic, with my eyes locked on Dean as he had quickly felled a man. In the melee it took me a moment to register that _said_ man was Batista and not Randy. That was a shame. For a moment the cameras flickered towards Stephanie and quite frankly her expression was much the same as mine. Open-mouthed, wide-eyed and totally disbelieving at what The Shield had done.

They had _turned on_ their boss.

As Hunter squirmed on the mat in near agony, Dean, Seth and Roman moved in and crowded round, circling much like a pack of hungry animals or a gathering of sharks with their eyes on a kill.

"Laurie – ," Kelly offered, but even _she_ was speechless. I mean, what _could_ she say?

It was my _boyfriend_ and my _dad_.

I sat feeling numb, like my whole world was crumbling and my heartbeat was pounding against the centre of my throat. My hands were shaking and my legs _and_ my shoulders. All of me was trembling.

It was all going wrong.

Then, from out of nowhere and as Hunter stood up wearily, Daniel Bryan flew in and caught his skull with a knee, knocking him dazed and bewildered onto his back again and drawing an eruption of elation from the crowd.

"Oh my god," I whispered somewhat mournfully, as Randy and Batista rolled my dad out. Dean, Seth and Roman stalked them to the ring ropes before posturing and pointing.

They owned the space now.

"Laurie – ," Kelly called, but I couldn't respond to it. I couldn't form words and I couldn't even see. Thick hot tears were blurring my vision and the heartbeat in my ears was drowning out sound. There was a knot in my throat which was slowly creeping higher and I didn't have the strength left.

"I'll have to call you back."

"No, don't you dare," Kelly warned, " _Laurie_ – ,"

But I pushed the red button and rolled over onto my front, dropping my head down onto the bed clothes and beginning to sob for all I was worth. The tears were hot and so plentiful they stung me and within mere seconds my entire face was drenched. My cheeks clung onto the sheets like they were glue sticks and my body heaved with misery.

 _God_ I felt sick.

I could feel my phone buzzing frantically somewhere but my brain was too addled to attempt to pick it up and all I could focus on was how _broken_ events were.

My family.

My life.

The men in whom I'd placed my trust.

I wasn't really sure how long I even lay there but it must have been a pretty long while, because the hotel door clicked as someone slotted in the key card and then swung wide open.

Dean walked in.

On seeing me huddled on the bed and bawling, he quickly dropped his bag down and trampled across. His face – which had been tight – shifted instantly to worrisome and his eyes softened with it,

"Easy Lauren, it's alright."

He dropped himself down onto the mattress beside me and tried to pull me closer but I coughed and shuffled back, for the first time not wanting to snuggle in close to him and as I squirmed away, I saw the hurt in his eyes.

"No Dean, _no_ ," I spluttered, still sobbing, "You _promised_ me and then you went back on your word."

He frowned down a little, not seeming to follow,

"Princess, what the hell are you talkin' about? I didn't go back on shit. I _kept_ my promise – ,"

"No you didn't," I wailed, "Hunter got hurt."

I guess I must have made a pretty sorry picture because Dean stared across at me and heaved out a sigh, clearly desperate to hold me and comfort me but keeping his distance as I snuffled and sobbed.

Oh sure, _now_ he does the one thing I ask him. Why could he not have done that before?

As I pushed myself upright and sadly drew my knees in, shifting my form into a pathetic little ball, Dean swept a hand through his hair and started tapping. The familiar anxious tune being rapped out by his thumbs.

"Lauren, think back for me. _What_ did I say to you?"

"You said – ,"

"Not a damn _thing_ about Hunter gettin' hurt. What I told you in the locker room was that _I_ wouldn't hurt him and I didn't, alright? I didn't fuckin' touch him once."

For a second I merely blinked in astonishment because – oh, okay – _damn_ he was good. He had totally outfoxed me and what was more, he must have planned it. He had looked me in the eyes and lied to my face. Well, not really because there was simply no denying that he was being honest in that he _hadn't_ touched my dad. He was staring across at me, his expression unguarded but also near emotionless, almost like he didn't care. Or maybe more like he still didn't get it.

He didn't understand why in the hell I was upset.

"That's not the point," I shot back in outrage and he blew another breath out,

"M' pretty sure that _is_ the point. I didn't lie to you, alright? I wouldn't do that."

"So what? I should be grateful that you played me instead?"

He blinked in surprise at _that_ accusation, seeming offended,

"I didn't play you Princess."

"Um, hello? That's _exactly_ what you did Dean. Why the hell else would you have worded it like that? You knew – _you knew_ we would end up in this argument and you wanted to make sure that you could have the last laugh."

I finished by swiping my hand across my cheekbones where the tears were starting to itch as they dried and despite the fact that I still felt pretty desolate, my sadness was being replaced by hot fury the whole while. Dean on the other hand just groaned at my assessment, rubbing his face and looking worn-out. I could tell he didn't want to argue it much longer but screw what he wanted.

This was my show.

"Lauren, that isn't – ,"

"You must think I'm stupid," I interrupted briskly as I suddenly hit my flow, "Who am I kidding right? I mean, I _must_ be stupid. Because for once I thought I had an unselfish guy. A man who might actually care about my feelings more than his ego. I guess I was wrong."

Dean kept his eyes on my face, unblinking,

"So what did you want us to do? Walk away? You know we can't do that. That's not what we stand for. That isn't ever gonna be who we are."

I swept away another quick teardrop,

"Then why didn't you talk to me?"

Dean sighed,

"To say what? To tell you we were thinkin' of beatin' up your father? Yeah, because that would have gone down real well. Trust me Lauren, it might not have looked it, but I was fightin' the urge to up and pummel him _real_ hard. An' maybe that's not what you wanna hear from me right now, but it's still fuckin' true. I kept my damn word. Besides, did you want him to win the belt that way? Did you want him to rob Bryan?"

I shook my head,

"No."

"Well there you go Princess," Dean replied shortly, moving from the mattress and instead starting to pace, wearing a groove of frustration into the carpet as he trod of a steady path between the vanity and the desk, "Because _somebody_ had to teach him a lesson and since we're about justice, that had to be us. It ain't like the real world in this business, you _know_ that."

"But it's _my_ real world," I countered sadly, "He's my _dad_."

All of a sudden, Dean stopped his pacing and spun around to look at me, seeming abashed. Or at least as much as was physically _possible_ for a wrestler who was sketchy with raw emotions at best. Actually it seemed like maybe he understood things and his next words were quieter,

"I get that, okay?"

"Do you?" I sniffed the anger still rising, "Do you _seriously_ realize what you've done? You've broken my family Dean. It's _broken_. I had only had two men in my life and now that's gone."

"Hey – ,"

He stepped closer and I shook my head wretchedly, still not having forgiven him enough.

"It's broken," I repeated, sucking a sob in and dropping my head down,

"Listen baby, you've still got me."

Despite my having all but asked him to stay away from me, Dean growled loudly and stalked across the room, dropping to his knees on the carpet beside the mattress and using his finger to hook up my chin. His blue eyes were swimming with whirring emotions, most of which he had probably not often felt before and I instinctively wanted to throw my arms around him but I was still hugely mad.

I had to make my point.

"But I wanted _both_ of you and now I have to choose one."

Dean shook his head and sighed again,

"No you don't."

"Yes I do,"

"Look Lauren, I can't make you do that and I was never fuckin' _goin'_ to, alright? I mean, do I want you to cut off that asshole? Sure, in a heartbeat. But I wouldn't fuckin' ask. I would never actually expect you to do it. I might be a crazy fucker but I'm not downright cruel. At least, you know – ," he shrugged, "Not with you I'm not."

I blinked a little and shivered a breath in, frowning at him mildly. He didn't want to make me choose? I guess in his mind that was pretty magnanimous but to me it didn't help things.

"That isn't going to work. What about birthdays? What about marriage? What about if the pair of us ever have kids? I can't live two separate lives. I won't do it and I only just found him. I can't give up my _dad_."

Dean's brows drew in, his eyes looking panicked,

"What are you sayin' here Princess?"

" _Nothing_."

That part wasn't a lie. I really _wasn't_ thinking. I didn't have even the first inkling of a plan. All I knew was that both Hunter and Dean had hurt me but at the same time there was no way I could live without their love. My boyfriend however seemed to take it as foreshadowing and he cupped my face frantically,

"Baby? Lauren? _Talk_ to me. I wanna know what's goin' through that pretty head 'a yours."

But I was all done talking.

I needed to get out.

Gently shaking my head free of his fingers, I sucked a breath in, my voice breaking,

"I can't do this now."

Then I slid off the bed and grabbed my handbag, heading for the door only Dean got there first. As I twisted the handle, his palm flew against it and countered my smaller force to slam it back shut. His hands were on my shoulder blades, spinning me around again and pulling me against him,

"I'm fuckin' _sorry_ , please don't go."

I could tell that he was freaking out pretty royally but a tiny little part of me couldn't help but think _good_. Perhaps if he could feel a fraction of my emotions he would understand better, so I whispered,

"I can't be here. I just need to – I just need to be alone for an hour."

"Then stay here. I'll go."

I dropped my gaze and stepped away,

"I – I'll be fine Dean."

"You _are_ comin' back, right?"

His face was so damn frightened that I almost broke me instantly, but instead I managed to stay firm in spite of it and stepped through the door with a tiny little nod that likely didn't sound convincing,

"Yes, don't worry, I'll be back."

* * *

 **So, big question, but who do we side with here? Or maybe they're both right and both wrong in equal measure?**

 **Cast your votes now!**


	4. Trust No One

**Hey guys, thanks for all your reviews and speculation, you know I love hearing what you all think. I also know that some of you are enjoying all the drama, so here, go ahead, have a whole** _ **lot**_ **more!**

 **Skovko, Well, perhaps she should choose a coffee bar, but because it's our girl she goes for something a little harder and lives to regret it in a really big way, but other than that, she's totally on your wavelength with the whole** _ **giving it time to cool off**_ **thing.**

 **LizzyMoxley, Hi there, I'm glad you can see both sides of it, I kind of wanted to it be a half and half thing, there is rarely one person to blame completely (except for Hunter, so let's all blame him!) Aww, glad you love this chaotic little pairing of mine, thanks!**

 **Wolfgirl2013, Well, if you have any further doubts about who is the better option then hopefully this chapter will settle your mind, because things are about to get pretty dramatic and show her who the only choice has been all along *throws hints liberally***

 **xXBalorBabeXx, Don't worry, you know I love this crazy couple too much to split them up forever more, besides, at the end of this chapter I hope it will be more obvious (okay, a lot more obvious) as to who the good guy has been all along!**

 **Moxley Gal1, Agreed, Dean might be a bit rough around the edges and not always the best when it comes to expressing himself, but he has never lied to her and in his own crazy way he always puts her first. As for Hunter? Well, this chapter is a big one!**

 **Raze Olympus, *Raises hands* Okay, don't shoot, I promise that no one will be harmed in any way shape or form in this story...actually, I can't promise that at all, it's a lie and this chapter is going to make that pretty apparent, um, oopsie?!**

 **Mandy, Haha, I know I know, you would have Seth in every chapter if you could, but this one will always be mostly Dean and Lauren and hopefully the drama in this next installment will make up for not having your best man involved!**

 **Minnie1015, Didn't I promise you that you would get your drama and a bit of division between them both? Also, bumpy ride is completely right on this one, but it might be even more bumpier than you thought...have a read and let me know what you're thinking, things get real here!**

 **HannonsPen, Well, you _say_ she doesn't have to choose anything and that may be true, but she's panicking, besides, she isn't the only person that has that opinion (as is going to become a whole lot more clear *insert evil laugh*)**

 **More chaos, here we come!**

* * *

 **Trust No One**

The bar I choose was a twenty minute walk away, not that I'd had a particular spot in mind. When I'd left the hotel I had simply started walking, trudging along as I replayed my hopeless night. I was crying as well but given that it was night time, I was able to hide my distress pretty well. For the most part those who were still out were all drunken, or loved-up or hurrying to wherever they had to be. I knew that Dean would probably be going crazy thinking of me out there all on my own and that thought both fortified and compounded my sadness.

I didn't like thinking about Dean being upset.

I didn't like thinking about Dean being _anything_ other than happy and safe and calm. His mood had the most amazing ability to regulate and influence my own and in the end I felt like I was probably crying because I knew _he_ would be feeling horribly bad.

Had I been too hard on him?

Okay, maybe.

What did I expect dating a member of The Shield? The most dominant force in the wrestling business – so they liked to keep telling me – who arbitrated right and wrong. How did I honestly _think_ they would react to slyly being attacked on the orders of their boss? Regardless of who he was and what Hunter meant to me, in their cutthroat world that simply didn't work and part of the reason that I felt so safe and loved by Dean was because people were _scared_ of him.

He couldn't lose that front.

Besides, what other options did The Shield boys have anyway? A conference? Mediation? To sit down and have a chat? In wrestling grudges were sorted with knuckles and I was an idiot to have imagined another way.

But that didn't change Dean keeping his plans from me, or sending me away believing everything was fine. He must have known I would be watching the taping and he hadn't even warned me, or explained how it would work. He was right, he _hadn't_ laid a finger on my father but they had outnumbered him and watched him get beaten down.

Dean was more in the right than my father but I still felt betrayed.

They'd _both_ hurt me somehow.

Which was why when I looked up and saw the flashing _bar_ sign, I swung a left and pushed my way in through the door, thanking my lucky stars that the place looked like a nice one. It would have been embarrassing to have had to turn and walk straight back out.

"Whisky," I mumbled, sliding into a corner booth as the bartender looked up, "Double please."

"Sure."

The place was small but it had a nice vibe to it, with a handful of clientele grouped slightly further down, gathered in a small ring around a raised platform where a scruffy looking guy was strumming a guitar. No one bothered to look back in my direction where the tables were empty and that suited me fine. Slumping down I rested my head against the woodwork not even looking up as my whisky was placed down,

"Thank you."

"You alright miss?"

I dug around one handed, pulling out some money and passing it across,

"Uh huh."

Only when I heard his feet shuffle off again – accompanied by a very world weary sort of sigh – did I finally lift my head off the table top, alarmed to find it was stickier than I thought.

 _Oh good._

Not only was I miserable and in total crisis but I also had something stuck to my head and so as I took a long warming draft of my alcohol, I rubbed it with the napkin until the skin felt raw and red.

Dean.

Unsurprisingly my thoughts swung quickly back to him again, not that they had ever wandered that far. Vaguely I wondered if he had gone to Seth and Roman and found myself desperately hoping he had. He needed his boys to keep him from imploding or wrecking our hotel room or something just as mad. They were the only other people he trusted to truly be himself around and on the off chance he was actually physically _emotional_ I knew that Roman at least would give him a hug.

I closed my eyes, hearing his voice again.

 _What are you sayin' here Princess?_

He had been genuinely terrified.

He had honestly thought I might be ending our relationship and although I'd said otherwise I knew he'd still be scared. He had this weird sort of _fear_ about losing me or doing something wrong and this had played right into that. Frankly it was pretty damn cruel of me to milk it but I needed to make him feel how much I hurt.

 _Please don't go._

I groaned as the three words hit me, along with the image of his frantic blue eyes. The memory was haunting and knocked me like a gut-punch and so pulling free my cell phone, I let loose a sigh. I would send my boyfriend a single text message, telling him that I would be back soon and was fine. I would also remind him to phone our dog sitter and make sure everything was good with our boy. That way he would know that although I was pissed at him, the life we'd built together was still very much intact. Although as it turned out, I got only got as far as _Hi Dean_ before someone slid over the seats to my right,

"Kiddo?"

I looked up startled,

"Hunter?"

It took a second to register that I hadn't called him _dad_ although judging from the way his thick brows knitted inwards, he had heard the difference almost instantly,

"Are you okay?"

I stared at hum dumbly, not really getting his appearance and it carried in my baffled sounding tone,

"Uh, yeah?"

"You shouldn't be out on your own at night Lauren," Hunter continued, "It's not safe out there."

"I – I'm fine."

He looked at me suspiciously and just like that he was my father again. Not the asshole who'd beaten Daniel Bryan or lied and cheated to get to the top. He was back to the man I'd met seven months ago and who had almost unquestioningly brought me into the fold. I _knew_ this man and what was more, I loved him.

For a tiny little second, it all felt alright.

"What're you drinking?"

"Whisky," I answered, taking another little sip, "It's good."

Hunter quirked a brow at me, but wisely said nothing, it was far too late for him to lecture me on booze. If he had wanted to do that he should been there when I turned legal but he wasn't and so we both knew that ship had set sail.

"Hmm," he offered instead, "The hard stuff."

" _Oh_ yeah, kind of felt like I needed it tonight."

Hunter sighed in what I took to be embarrassment at his hand in the events that had played out so far, but evidently he wasn't quite following my meaning because he sighed and put a warm hand over mine,

"Break ups are hard Lauren."

 _Huh?_

I blinked at him.

Breaks up? Where the hell had that come from?

"I – uh – I don't – what are you saying?"

He stared like it was obvious,

"You and Dean."

"Me and _Dean_?"

"That's why you're here, right? You and Ambrose broke up tonight?"

I gaped like a goldfish for several seconds.

" _What_?"

At about the moment I realized what he was asking me, Hunter seemed to realize he'd made a mistake. His big brows gathered above ever widening eyeballs and he shook his head a little,

"You – you didn't break up?"

" _No_ ," I hissed, thank god I had my whisky, "Why in the world would you ever think that?"

Hunter growled a little,

"Because of his actions – ,"

"Which were because of _your_ actions," I quickly fired back and – oh yeah – I had kind of forgotten about that part.

My boyfriend had been beaten on by order of my dad.

"Lauren – ," Hunter sighed, "That was just business."

I laughed bitterly in response to him and took a long swig, sucking in a breath as the alcohol warmed my throat up, which probably wasn't a good thing since it loosened my tongue as well.

"Business? You beat up my boyfriend for _business_?"

"They were starting to defy orders, I needed to bring them back in line."

I snorted wryly, finishing my whisky and slamming the glass down,

"Well that worked out well. Because I hate to tell you this but they pretty much detest you. Good luck getting them to do anything now."

Hunter grit teeth a little in frustration,

"Kane should never have said what he did tonight."

"It's not his fault," I shot back quickly before blinking as I realized that I was defending Kane. _Ick._ "You should have never gone against your own taskforce and more than that my _boyfriend_ as well."

"Like I said Lauren, that's business."

"Bullshit," I retorted with a suddenness and passion that made us both sit up a little in surprise, "Why didn't you come and talk to me about it? Why didn't you send me to go talk to the guys? Surely you can't think sending people to attack them was the best way to do things?"

Hunter didn't flinch,

"I did."

Then just like that – _boom_ – suddenly there it was again, the asshole in the wrestling trunks who'd been such a dick before. The guy who had stood over Daniel Bryan's limp body after having had him brutalized to allow himself a chance. This man was by no means my benign loving father and I didn't like him much.

I didn't like him at all.

"Why are you here?" I barked out suddenly, " _How_ are you here? Did you follow me?"

My father shrugged,

"I told you I was worried."

"No, you _said_ you thought I'd broken up with my boyfriend."

"Well that because I assumed you would do," Hunter grumbled darkly, "I mean, I'm your family."

"So is he."

It was a point on which I was totally unwavering and had been since Dean and I had first hooked up. Throughout the whole mess of things that had happened, Dean had been the one who was there for it all. He was the one who had given me a home again, the one who had loved me before anybody else. Hunter was my blood – absolutely no denying it – but Dean was my family in everything else. I loved him fiercely, so fiercely it _hurt_ me and as I realized it I knew that I wanted to get back. I wanted to feel his warm arms around me and smell his cologne as I laid my head against his chest. Sure Dean had upset me by being an idiot but of the two men in my life he had wounded me less. On top of which he had very, very vaguely thought about me.

My father on the other hand, hadn't done at all.

Not only that but he seemed to be pissed at me for not having dumped my boyfriend at the drop of a hat. Or possibly the drop of a _belt_ – a big shiny one – which in wrestling terms was far more apt.

"This means you're choosing him then?"

"I'm not choosing either one of you."

"Well maybe you should."

I blinked at him,

"What?"

"I said maybe you should choose one. Well Lauren? It's him or me now."

My heart turned to lead and dropped into my boot tips and despite the thick leather my toes turned icy cold. Surely he wasn't going to actually make me pick here? That was insane and I refused to play along. Clearly _Ring Hunter_ was still in control of him and so I lowered my voice to appeal to my dad.

"I – I don't want to choose, I want to have both of you."

"I'm not sure you can."

I paused,

"Dean didn't make me pick."

At the sound of my tone – which was worried and mildly _croaky_ – Hunter blinked and seemed to come around, shaking his head like he was waking from a daydream and then letting out both a sigh and a pitiful groan,

"Jesus, I'm sorry Kiddo, what was I thinking? Of course. This must be difficult for you."

I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding and allowed him to place a careful hand across my arm. He squeezed it a little, to let me know he was there for me and the tension seemed to peel off the both of us in waves.

Maybe I could have the pair of them after all?

If they loved me enough to keep their issues between the ropes.

Somewhere across the bar, the guitarist stopped playing, offering his thanks – above applause – for the night. I glanced at the clock hung high up above the booze shelves and gasped a little.

"Oh wow, I should get back."

Dean would probably be near apoplectic, especially considering I had never sent that text. Hunter however kept his hand around my elbow, holding me in place,

"Wait, have some water first."

"What?" I blinked at him,

"Sweetheart, you've been drinking and I doubt Dean wants to see you like that. Just have a glass of water and clear your head a bit. I'll go grab you one, then I'll drive you back."

It seemed to make sense and so I nodded at him easily and watched as he slid out to grab a fresh glass. People were starting to shuffle past to their homes again and I watched them idly trying to guess at their lives. There was a woman in smart suit pants who'd clearly come from the office, holding the hand of a guy in ripped jeans. I figured he was probably some sort of artist and that the two of them were opposites much like me and Dean. There was also a guy with a worn _Korn_ t-shirt, who I pegged for something technical like communications or maybe apps. I wondered very idly if they were wondering about _my_ life. The demurely dressed girl with a finished whisky on her table, probably looking sort of _haunted_ as well. They likely put me down as some sort of teacher or possibly a nurse. Not a _sports entertainment_ girl. A couple of them looked over at Hunter as he pushed back, but if they registered who he was then they certainly kept quiet. The look on his face was enough to have stopped them.

"Here," he grunted, putting down the water and cursing as some spilt over the lip, "Drink it Lauren."

I took it up obligingly and started to sip it, shivering a little as the coolness hit my throat. It acted a bit like a slap to the features and the second I swallowed I felt a little more bright.

"Oh wow, I didn't know I actually needed that. Thanks dad,"

Hunter nodded very lightly,

"Now the rest."

I wasn't sure at what point he'd become a _Water Nazi_ but since it was healthy, I did as he said, slowly draining the rest of the tumbler and then putting it down with a thud,

" _Ta-da_."

Hunter smirked but didn't really laugh at me, although I mostly put that down to the super crappy day. Chances were my father was utterly exhausted which I could totally relate to because frankly, so was I. Visions of falling asleep on Dean's stomach floated around my over-worked mind and so when Hunter stood and held a hand out to me, I took it gladly,

"You ready?"

"Uh huh."

Climbing to my feet again made me feel funny in the sense that my head actually gave a little roll. My world sort of _tilted_ and I blinked in semi-bafflement at how much one whisky had screwed with my brain. The last time I had been absolutely hammered had been way back when I had first met Dean. On that fateful night when the sleazy motel guy had tried to physically drag me off into his room. That had been whisky as well – I had to stop that – although this wasn't drunkenness in quite the same way. Still, it seemed to feel oddly familiar as if my head had spun like this some other time.

"Lauren?" Hunter asked, "Hey, you feel alright?"

"Um, yeah," I smiled, lying through my teeth at him, "I – uh – I'm just tired I guess."

My father wrapped an arm around my middle, bracing me against him as he pushed out through the door. His big sleek saloon car was parked up kerbside and on seeing him coming, his chauffeur hurried out,

"Don't worry sweetie, we'll get you into bed, alright?"

"Okay."

"Everything's going to be just fine, you'll see."

As the driver briskly swung one of the doors open, my head spun again, more violently this time. Alongside it my eyelids suddenly grew heavier and it felt like I was fighting to just to keep myself awake. Halfway across the sidewalk, my knees grew shaky and almost dropped me earthwards. What the hell was wrong with me?

"Whoa," Hunter intoned evenly, "Careful. Nearly there kiddo, keep going, we're nearly there."

"Dad," I murmured, screwing my face up, "I don't feel right – ,"

"Just keep moving, okay?"

My body was starting to flush in hot prickles and there were stars in my eyes that were starting to crowd. I could have _sworn_ I had experienced those symptoms already but I was struggling to know when or how I'd felt them last. The one thing I _did_ know however, was that it scared me and I whimpered a little, instinctively,

"Dean – ,"

"Easy, I've got you," Hunter murmured back at me, but it wasn't him I wanted and I frowned again,

"Dean?"

The whistling in my ears – huh, when had _that_ started – was sounding so shrilly that it actually made me wince, shaking my head as if I could somehow try and stop it which didn't really work and merely made me feel sick. My palms were sweating and so slick with beading moisture that I couldn't hold the car door without it sliding off and so in the end I made my entrance onto the leather in an ungraceful sort of _tumble_ with Hunter's hands around my hips.

"Lauren? Damn. You alright kiddo?"

I lay face down on the seats,

"Wha's happenin' t' me?"

Hunter crouched down and palmed my hair gently, his big eyes worried,

"I'm sorry, you'll be fine."

Somewhere behind us the door slammed shut again and I blinked at him blearily,

"What're y' sorry f'r?"

"I wish I could have done this another way Lauren, but you can't have both. I'm sorry. You _can't_."

Frowning again harder, I pushed myself upright, slowly rising on wildly shaking arms. As the driver jumped back into the front and floored the engine, I rolled back again and hit the leather with a thump, blinking around the back of the limo and frowning at the second, unwelcome face that I saw.

"What th' hell is _he_ doin' here?"

Randy smirked back at me,

"I wasn't missing this."

Hunter ignored it, still stroking my hair back and I let out a grumble and tried to push him off. Someone had been touching me before when I was out of it and I hadn't liked the feeling of their hand on my leg. Who had that been? Who the hell had been touching me?

Suddenly it all came flooding straight back.

Bray Wyatt.

Bray Wyatt had drugged me and pawed at me seven months ago when I had been at the club. Luckily Dean had shown up when I needed him but the feeling was identical.

I had been drugged.

"You – ," I murmured, my gaze sliding upwards towards my father, "You put somethin' in th' glass."

"Don't worry kiddo, you're not in any danger," Hunter spun around again quickly, "Doc?"

As somebody else lumbered into my vision I almost groaned.

 _Wow_.

This was too weird.

The whole bizarre thing was like a big extended flashback, because peering straight down was _Doctor Grouchy_ as well – the McMahon family's grumpy physician who had drawn my blood what felt like _years_ ago. Swinging in grim-faced, he gripped my chin briskly, drawing up my eyelids as I tried to bat him off.

"She'll be out soon but I'll monitor her levels and we'll put one of these on just to make sure."

"But she's going to be okay, right?"

Something snapped across my cheekbones, accompanied by a noisy rush of cool air. Moving my hands up lazily towards it I realized I was wearing an oxygen mask, a bit like someone who was about to have surgery and I squeaked in alarm and tried to pull it off.

"Nuh – ," I frowned, pushing it downwards, "I don' wan' this, I jus' wan' _Dean_."

"Lauren," Hunter purred back, pinning my arms down and trying to be gentle, "Stop fighting, let go."

"Why're y' doin' this?" I mumbled, my eyes tearing and he stroked my hair again.

"Because I have to, okay? It might not seem like it, but I'm doing this _for_ you. Family needs to stick with family in this business. That's just how it works. You'll understand it one day."

Then, as the mask was slid over my face again, I choked back a sob and let my eyes slide shut. My last thoughts drifting back to my boyfriend and needing him fiercely.

I whispered for him.

"Dean."

* * *

 **Oooooh, Hunter is a very bad man but on the plus side, for those of you who like all the drama, I hope this delivered with a cherry on top! Things will get worse before they get better too. I'm being super mean to our favourite couple in this one!**


	5. The Family That Kidnaps Together

**Ready for Lauren to wake up and realize the enormous mess she's in? Yep, me too.**

 **Wolfgirl2013, Oh yeah, Hunter has really fallen off the sanity wagon on this one, but then again, heel Hunter always has been a bit of a wild card and we all know he'll do anything to keep himself on the top! He doesn't get better in this chapter either…**

 **xXBalorBabeXx, Well, we do know he'll do anything to get what he wants. After all, he married Stephanie when she was drugged and totally out of it, so really he's just reverting to type to get what he wants. Plus, he kinda thinks he's doing the right thing (but isn't)**

 **Moxley Gal1, Don't worry, it becomes very clear to Lauren who the real bad guys are in this story. All she wants is to get back to Dean, but you might have to wait a little while until that happens. We've got a bit more drama coming yet!**

 **Minnie1015, Well, let's just say that when Dean makes a reappearance, it becomes fairly obvious that he is not happy about what's happening, but for right now, Lauren is all on her own. Dean does appear in the next chapter though...** _ **kind of**_ **…(I love hinting vaguely at things!)**

 **Mandy, Thanks for the good thoughts, the only positive of this whole thing (there has to be one) is how lovely and supportive everyone has been. As for this story? It's definitely an on the edge of your seat one. I did promise drama after all!**

 **Raze Olympus, Okay, okay, I surrender *runs off in other direction* No I don't! I know, poor old Randy being such an A-hole in this, but I can't help it, he's just such an evil, glaring bad guy. I can't believe face Randy, but heel Randy is perfect!**

 **AngelsDestiny22, Yay! I'm so glad you're loving the drama. I kind felt it had to be done given the storyline that was playing out at this point. Hunter was never just going to let things go! No return for daddy Hunter though, he's pretty much broken that at this point!**

 **Skovko, Oooh, you know what? I had totally forgotten that he refused to choose between them! I've made him even more of a hypocrite than even I knew! But yeah, heel Hunter isn't beyond anything so this is totally something I figured he would do!**

 **HannonsPen, I know, I know, well, I did promise big drama and it doesn't come a whole lot bigger than this! Some serious changes are going to be happening in this story and that is going to kick off in this chapter right here. Hope you like it!**

 **Wakey, wakey...**

* * *

 **The Family That Kidnaps Together Stays Together**

Waking up again felt like swimming through molasses and emerging into a world that was made up of bits of fluff. Everything about me felt weird and woolly from my ears and my mouth to my fingers and my toes.

There were voice – low voices – talking somewhere in the background, like the adults from Peanuts, sort of _wah-wah-wah_ and although I couldn't work out what they were saying I could tell that there were two of them and they were standing somewhere close.

" _Mmmm_."

I let out the noise involuntarily and rolled over onto my back from my side. I was lying on a bed tucked under the covers and it was big and wide and comfortable and soft.

"Lauren?"

"Sweetheart?"

The voices both reached out to me and I frowned, not wanting to open my eyes. Something about the sleepy darkness was comforting so I fought against the wakefulness even when the touches rained down. One brushed over my forehead gently, sweeping the errant hairs out of my face and the other pulled off something that had been covering my mouth up – a very _noisy_ something that had been puffing out air.

"Hey, you've got to come back to us now kiddo. Come on Lauren, can you let me see those eyes?"

It was Hunter who was asking I realized belatedly and so I assumed it was him who had his hand on my head. My world was spinning and I was baffled and foggy but if my father was there things weren't as scary.

Right?

Slowly and reluctantly I fluttered my lashes, then grumbled a little at the strong beam of light. Ducking my head back into the pillow I mumbled a sentence out sluggishly,

"T' bright."

Luckily although it wasn't that coherent, somebody seemed to understand what I meant, because there was a sudden harsh clatter of drapes being swept shut and the accompanying pleasure of _non_ -painful muted light.

"There, is that better?"

I blinked up at Stephanie, still frowning even as I nodded,

"Uh huh."

"Good, so how are you feeling honey?"

I nuzzled the bedclothes,

"Head h'rts, feel sick."

"It will do Lauren," Stephanie soothed caringly, "But don't worry, I promise it won't last long."

Blinking again made my vision much clearer and as I turned I realized that Hunter was at my side, perching like a parakeet on the edge of the mattress and still reassuringly stroking my hair.

"You were out for a long time kiddo, was starting to get kinda worried about you."

"Why?" I whispered, "Why was I out s' long?"

A look passed between them,

"Don't worry about that now."

Drawing a deep breath in and glancing around slightly allowed me to attempt figure out where we were. I was lying in a bed, so I assumed it was a hospital but I couldn't remember how or why I would be there. The room was simple and painted in neutral colors, with a dresser, a television and its own bathroom too. It certainly _looked_ sort of boring and medical but what the hell had happened and –

I gasped,

"Where – where's Dean?"

The memory of my boyfriend sent sudden a jolt through me and I threw myself upright and then let out a groan. The sudden shift in altitude sent my brain crazy and my world shifted violently as my eyesight shut down.

 _Whoa_.

"Lauren?" Hunter barked, "Hey, take it easy kiddo."

But I was frantic with worry,

"Where's Dean? Is he hurt too?"

There was a momentary pause as they drank in my question, sharing another little patented glance. Sometimes their _on the same wavelength_ schtick bugged me because it usually meant they were deciding what to share.

"Hurt?" Stephanie echoed eventually, "Sweetheart, where exactly do you think we are now?"

"Um, the – the hospital?"

Hunter blew a breath out and rubbed a hand through his hair,

"God damn."

"Something must have happened," I carried on quietly, "But I don't – I don't remember what."

To be honest Hunter's reaction was startling and the fact he was riled made my pulse rate shoot up. Whatever had gone down was obviously serious and the decided lack of answers was making me feel sick.

"Lauren – ,"

"Please," I whispered back brokenly, "Has something – has something happened to Dean?"

The lump in my throat was almost blocking my airways and I could feel hot tears begin to prickle at my eyes. The thought of my boyfriend lying injured somewhere was almost instantly more than I could bear although so much _worse_ was the one remaining option.

That he was –

That he was –

I bit back a sob.

 _No_.

"Hey, take it easy," Stephanie swept in soothingly, replacing Hunter as he rose from the bed, "Nothing has happened to Ambrose, he's fine alright?"

My whole body sagged in relief,

"Is he here?"

Again that strange little look passed between them and it made my insides roll just a bit. Why were they being so oddly cloak and daggers and why could I not recall where I was? Thinking back hard I got a fuzzy image. Well, several really sort of all in a clump. Untangling them took time and a huge amount of effort but gradually they slowly seemed to slot into place.

Stephanie and Kane backstage at the taping.

The match that had triggered my first fight with Dean.

Drowning my sorrows at the bar with Hunter.

But then there was nothing.

It was all one big blank.

The only thing I vaguely remembered was feeling pretty wiped as Hunter helped me to the car. Stumbling over the sidewalk as he basically dragged me and wondering why I was drunk when I hadn't had much. Just a whisky and a small glass of water. Had I caught some sort of virus? Was that what it was?

The memory also threw up a sentence, grumbled as Hunter hovered across me in the car. Tenderly stroking my forehead as he was prone to, with his eyes staring at me both soulful and dark.

 _I wish I could have done this another way Lauren, but you can't have both. I'm sorry. You_ _can't_.

The words made me feel instinctively edgy and I turned with a frown to watch him angrily pace the floor. He was acting like a tiger locked in a box room and it made my insides fill with alarm. Somewhere my brain was screaming blue murder and trying to tell me that something was wrong. It was also telling me that I knew what was happening. It was trying to tell me I'd been there before.

More swirling images flashed through my brainstem, taking me back to Dean and I in a car. It was the morning after Bray Wyatt had drugged me when I had felt almost identical to how I felt now. But that was crazy.

My father wouldn't drug me.

He might have been ruthless but he wasn't insane.

Even so my heart was pumping like timpani and so rolling my head, I studied the room again. Everything on the face of it seemed pretty normal but as I glanced towards the bathroom and the daylight through the window, I noticed something that made me squeak.

Bars.

There were bars right across the freaking _windows_.

It wasn't a hospital room at all.

It was a cell.

Again I sat up with another burst of panic but this time I fought the dizziness down. I still felt sick but that could have been from several things including the drugs – which I now heavily suspected – or my evident second abduction in six months.

"Wh-what's going on?" I stuttered out nervously, "Am I – am I a prisoner here?"

It sounded ridiculous even by my standards and part of me was expecting and praying they would laugh. That the pair of them would crease up and wave off my foolishness but neither of them did. Stephanie merely sighed,

"Listen honey, you're still a little sleepy, we can talk about this later, alright?"

I blinked at her incredulous.

She had to be kidding me.

"N-no, I want to talk about it now."

"Lauren, please, don't be difficult."

"Difficult?" I spluttered, "Y-you've _kidnapped_ me."

"Actually I prefer the term _intervention_."

My head pounded fiercely in protest to the lunacy and I groaned a little and squeezed my eyes shut,

"What? I – I'm not on drugs."

"Isn't your boyfriend a kind of drug?"

"Dean?"

My tone implied that I was pretty bewildered and I hoped that alone would be enough to shut her down, but rather than flinching or seeing the absurdity, Stephanie just folded her arms across her chest,

"He isn't any good for you Lauren."

My fists tightened, curling up on instinct as I growled,

"Yes he is."

Then all of a sudden Hunter's earlier sentence came flooding back again but with clarity this time and I gaped across at him, blinking in astonishment.

 _You can't have both._

"You're forcing me to choose?"

My father had been pacing up and down with such fervour that for a moment I thought he might have tuned us clean out, but at the sound of my voice his head snapped back up again and his face looked emotionless,

"This isn't a choice."

"So, what?" I fired back, "You're just going to keep me here? Locked up forever? I'll call the police."

"On what?" Steph answered, opening her arms up and as I glanced around the room, I realized she was right. There was no phone anywhere and I didn't have my cell phone – which presumably they had cleverly removed with my bag – so there was no way of ringing for help from anyone.

My heart flipped over.

"I – I'll scream."

"Suit yourself Lauren," Steph replied evenly, not with outright cruelty but not with kindness at all, "We own this building and twenty acres around it so you'll need to speak up for anyone to hear."

Her bluntness was at once so stark and unsettling that I couldn't help but let the tears spring to my eyes. Being roofied – as it turned out – left me emotional which had been bad enough the first time even having Dean there. This time I had been kidnapped and trapped by my _father_ so the emotions weren't just coursing they were rising like a flood.

"Please," I whimpered, the fight draining out of me, "This is crazy, just let me go."

"Not until you make the right choice here Lauren."

I choked a noisy sob out,

"What do you _want_? You want me to stop loving Dean? I can't do that."

"Not right now," Stephanie sighed, "That's why you need this. Think of it as a detox center."

My body trembled in shock.

I felt nauseous.

No way could I believe that this was truly real. Deep down I was convinced that I had to be sleeping, that everything was part of a really weird dream. I even pinched myself hard underneath the bed clothes and then winced as it hurt.

Oh god _._

It _was_ real.

Over in the corner, Hunter was still pacing with the look of a man trying to solve third world debt, but his dilemma was so much more messed up and complex in that his _abducted_ long-lost daughter was in the middle of freaking out.

"Dad," I tried, going straight for the big guns, "I'll do anything you ask me, just please let me go."

Reaching up absently as I did when I was anxious, I attempted to capture my necklace with my thumb, scrabbling around on my skin for a moment before realizing with a gut wrenching lurch that it was gone.

"No," I hissed, making both of them look at me, "Oh god, oh please _no_ , not this one too."

The tears I had been just about managing to cling to suddenly burst free in a veritable rush, streaking down my cheeks as my chest began heaving.

I was having a roofie-induced panic attack.

 _Great._

"Hey," Hunter ground out, crossing towards me and replacing his wife on the edge of the bed, "Breathe for me sweetheart, just breathe nice and easy."

He wrapped his arms around my body and pulled me up against his chest, letting me snivel and bawl into his shirt front even though his comfort was about the last thing I would want. Still, I found I couldn't pull away from it, needing to ground myself against something I loved.

Although did I?

Did I still love Hunter?

Was that even possible after what he had done?

Deciding that it wasn't I pushed myself away from him and drew up my knees to cry into my arms. The only parent I wanted was my mother. The mother whose necklace I somehow had lost. Everything was falling apart and I had nothing which was possibly why Stephanie let out a short sigh,

"Lauren, listen to me, you didn't lose it."

I looked up, blotchy-faced,

"It – it's not gone?"

"No it isn't."

"Then, where is it?"

Stephanie shifted awkwardly,

"I've got it for now."

"But – ," I blinked at her, "Why do you have it?"

She avoided direct eye contact and shrugged mildly,

"You'll see."

"Can I have it back?" I questioned, somewhat desperately, "Please Steph, please, it – it's all I have. Those earrings were my mother's favourite things in the whole world and if I didn't have that – ,"

She shook her head,

"Not now."

"Stephanie," Hunter frowned, clearly on my side for all that it mattered since he'd _roofied my drink_ , "Maybe we could let her have the thing after all. Given what's happened, I think it would be right."

For a second I thought that he might have convinced her because I certainly saw the flicker on her face, but then just as quickly, she shook her head fiercely and glared at her husband,

"You know I can't do that."

"Please – ," I blurted out again but it was useless and knowing that only made it all seem worse.

My father and stepmother were holding me captive.

The father and stepmother that I had come to trust.

Sure – okay – Stephanie and I had started badly but that had all been forgotten, so I had thought. Since those early days of mistrust and near _crushings_ the two of us had actually become pretty close. She let me stay at their house for weekend visits and we sometimes went shopping or simply had a girly lunch. Never at any point did I have any inkling that the two of them were planning to do something so off. Never did I think in my wildest, weirdest fantasies that my father would drug me and keep me locked up. I felt at once stupid and totally helpless.

Then there was Dean.

What about Dean?

He had already tentatively thought I might ditch him, so what had he done when I hadn't shown up? Part of me suspected he'd been tearing the whole world apart starting with the hotel and going from there. Deep down I knew he wouldn't stop until he found me but what if –

What if he thought I'd wanted to go?

What if he thought I had chosen to walk out on him and was holed up somewhere, waiting it out?

The image of him thinking that – or worse – giving up on me, was instantly almost more than I could physically bear and my need to get back to him was _so_ raw and instinctive that I surprised even myself by pushing Hunter clean away, giving him a two-handed shove so unexpectedly, that he practically rolled off the far side of the bed,

"What the – ,"

Before he could gather himself I was upright, charging on my shaking legs towards the door. On the way I sort of crashed wholesale into the nightstand but regained my balance in a head-long rush.

 _Hurry Lauren, hurry._

I fell into the door bodily, my trembling hands scrabbling wildly at the lock. I managed to turn the key with a clicking noise but the relief was short-lived as I swung the door wide.

 _Shit._

Kane of all people was standing in the corridor, glaring at me in both annoyance and surprise.

"Grab her," Steph yelled, like some crazy cartoon villain and my father's chief enforcer readily complied, reaching out and clamping my elbows even as I struggled and tried to scratch his eyes.

"No – ," I yelled, as Hunter swept back in again, replacing Kane's grip with a slightly softer hold, "Please let me go, please – you can't do this."

He marched me back across the room to the bed, dropping me backwards onto it heavily and then rubbing a hand across his head as he sighed,

"Lauren, sweetheart look I – I'm sorry."

"Not you're not," I snarled, getting tangled in the covers as I struggled to sit upright, "You're not sorry at all. If you were – if you loved me – you wouldn't do this to me, what kind of father are you?"

His face tensed,

"Don't – ,"

"Don't what?" I bit back, "Point out the obvious? That you're crazy. That I hate you?"

"Lauren – ,"

"I love Dean."

Strictly speaking it didn't need to be bellowed but I did it just the same, needing to make sure I was heard. There was no way that locking me in a room like a hostage was ever going to make me change my mind on that point. I loved my boyfriend with every atom in me and each second I spent in there would only make me feel it more.

"Hunter," Stephanie put in quietly, reaching out a hand to very gently pull him back, "Come on. She'll need a little time to get used to things and right now having you here isn't going to help. Let her cool off, she'll come round when she's ready."

I blinked in bewilderment.

Did they know I was still there?

"No I won't," I grumbled in dissension, "I'll never give him up and I meant what I said. I hate you Hunter, I wish I'd never met you. Tracking you down was the worst thing I ever did."

To be honest the sentence was only true on some points because deep down I still loved him. Somewhere _deep_ down. I had spent seven months with a benign and gentle father which was why I couldn't fathom the man before me now. The Hunter I knew was still in there surely?

He had to be.

He couldn't just have got clean up and left.

For as long as there was the chance that the good dad might come back again, there would probably always still be a flicker of hope but for the moment it was so wrapped in loathing and revulsion that I couldn't even remotely feel it's paternal warmth.

Hunter and Stephanie had totally betrayed me.

Betrayed me and trapped me.

Any trust we had was gone.

Perhaps seeing that, my father gave into the chivvying and dutifully followed his wife from the room. He looked kind of broken but I didn't feel remorse for that.

He was broken?

What about me?

"I'm sorry Lauren," he repeated on the threshold, before taking the key out and slamming the door. The second it closed I was back on my feet again, stumbling towards it and pulling against it hard.

"No."

But it was useless, it was locked fast from the outside and I was very, irretrievably stuck.

* * *

 **Next chapter, we find out what happened to the necklace and things get even worse for our girl...**


	6. Won't Change My Mind

**Ready for things to go from bad to worse? Also, we get a tiny insight into how Dean is coping and what he might think. This is chapter is going to be a rough one!**

 **xXBalorBabeXx, I think after this story (and this chapter as well) Hunter and Steph are totally dead to her. This stuff might be normal in the wacky, wild wrestling world, but Lauren is still new to all that, so she doesn't handle this situation very well (not that anyone would I guess!)**

 **Wolfgirl2013, Oh dear is definitely right for this one, in fact I am dropping oh dear situations all over (especially in the next chapter, so watch out for that). Glad you're enjoying the madness of this story though, hopefully that won't change!**

 **Mandy, I know, I'm being cruel again. As if it wasn't bad enough being drugged by her long lost father, I made them steal her necklace too! You'll find out why they did in this chapter and...um...I think it might make your heart hurt even more. Sorry!**

 **Raze Olympus, You get a glimpse of what Dean might be thinking in this one and don't worry, you're not the only one freaking out about where his head is at, Lauren is right there panicking with you! Put down that bazooka...please don't shoot!**

 **Moxley Gal1, Kane is kind of just going along with things for the sake of being a good employee (corporate Kane was kinda like that) but you may just be onto something, although he is still a McMahon employee first and foremost!**

 **HannonsPen, The jewellery taking was a pretty low blow, but you'll find out why Steph was so adamant about in this chapter and yes, Stephanie is back to her bitchy best! Face Stephanie has never been believable, so here she's returning to her natural state!**

 **Minnie1015 (Guest) Ha, I know it's you! Can't hide that easily. Awww, so jazzed you think Lauren and Dean are soulmates. I mean, they certainly share the same propensity for danger and it's always good to have things in common as a couple, right?!**

 **Skovko, Oooh, you know what, playing along is a very good idea...it's just a shame that Lauren isn't quick enough to think that way! Although, given what happens in this chapter, I defy even Meryl Streep to be able to bullshit her way through!**

 **Deep breaths everyone!**

* * *

 **Won't Change My Mind**

Over the twenty four hours that followed I tried everything I could possibly think of to escape. I pulled at the bars on each and every window, I debated somehow tying the bedsheets into a rope, I tried to pick the lock like Dean would have told me and I even took the back of the television off, hoping to see a pickaxe or a spare key or – I don't know – literally _anything_ that would help.

There was nothing.

The room was utterly barren, but then, of course it was.

That had always been their plan.

In between trying to _MacGyver_ my way out of there I spent many long hours pressed up against the door, crying and yelling and pleading for my freedom to – potentially – no one or else anyone that might hear.

Kane came in three times over that first day, each time bringing me food I didn't eat. They were nicely cooked dishes and way too good for his hands so I assumed that wherever I was had a chef. Just like Stephanie and Hunter to have catering for their super-secret hostage house.

My family was mad.

I didn't eat the food on principle, not on hunger because in real terms my stomach was tearing itself apart. But each and every plateful seemed tainted with danger and I simply didn't trust they wouldn't drug me again.

At one point I even tried to throw the food at him but he managed to duck and I just made a mess. On the plus side though it gave me something to do at last and I spent at least an hour trying to clean it back up.

 _Ugh_.

I was going so crazy that even cleaning was welcome and of course – throughout it all – my mind was on Dean.

 _Dean_.

Just the sound of his name made me tear up and at the same time sent an icy stab right through my gut. What was he doing? Was he trying to find me? How far away was he? Had he figured it out? Regardless of the total uncertainty of everything, that was the one thing I had total faith in.

Dean was coming and he was going to get me.

He always saved me.

I had no doubts.

Although – with that said – as things trickled into the second day, flickers of something did start to creep in. After all, I had implied that I needed to consider things. What if Dean believed I'd simply made my choice? What if he believed this was my way of leaving? But he wouldn't really think that.

He knew me better than that, right?

He knew how much I loved our life together – because that was another thing, I really missed my dog – he knew how much I needed him around me, he knew I needed him in order to be myself.

No –

I decided as the skies began to darken and draw in another long and very lonely night, one that would probably be spent like the first one in a hopeless crying mess on the verge of throwing up.

No.

Dean was definitely coming to get me and until he did I would just have to wait it out. He would be proud of me for holding myself together and I wanted to still be standing when the cavalry showed up. It was probably why I got so excited each and every time the door lock clicked, expecting Dean's beautifully worried expression and those bright blue eyes honing in across the room. If I ever needed proof that I believed he'd come and rescue me then it was surely the hopefulness whenever someone stepped in.

 _Click._

"Dean?"

I quickly raised my head up, lifting it from where it had been pillowed in my arms. I had spent a good part of the approaching night crying and so my face was so blotchy and tear-stained it hurt.

Unfortunately however – and pretty much just like every time – my visitor wasn't my boyfriend, but the lumbering Kane although on this occasion he had Stephanie behind him and on seeing her expressionless face, I bawled again.

" _Please_ – ," I choked out, feeling pathetic but having no idea what else I could do, " _Please_ let me go."

Her lips sort of wobbled and then she let out a sigh and moved in across the room, dropping down onto the mattress beside me and gathering me up into a tight maternal hug. For some strange reason I actually let her do it, hating her fiercely but just needing to feel loved.

"Sssh," she soothed from above me like she meant it, even beginning to rock me back and forth, "Lauren, sssh, I know this is hard for you but it will be better on everyone once it's done."

The words trickled down to me and I tried to struggle back from her, but she hung on tight like an eagle or a vice.

"Once what's done?"

"Making you see reason."

I shook my head against her,

"I won't give him up."

"Lauren, think about it – ,"

" _No_."

Why was I still hugging her? Why wasn't I screaming and battering her off? Was I really that distraught that the arms of my abductor were better than the prospect of no arms at all?

Yes.

"You know it will be better for Ambrose if you end things."

That made me stop my snivelling.

"W-what?"

"You and he won't last, can't you see that?" Stephanie replied, her nails threading through my hair, "I mean, maybe if he had chosen to stand beside Hunter then the two of you would have had perhaps a fighting chance, but _against_ him? Sweetheart, that's not how it works here. Dean Ambrose and his buddies are going to be crushed. Why put yourself through the torment of watching that? Why not just accept how life is and move on?"

"Because I love him," I choked out pathetically, meaning it to sound more significant than it did, "Because we've built a life together and I'm happy. I don't – I don't want to ever give that up."

"If you're worried about the dog I can just call our lawyers, I'm sure they could get you full custody."

 _What_?

This time I did manage to drag myself away from her, scooching across the bed until I almost rolled right off.

"What the hell is wrong with you Stephanie? Do you seriously think that's all I care about? I don't want full custody I want my life with Dean back. Boomer is _our_ dog who we live with in _our_ house and whatever you say I will always want that."

My torrent would probably have been more effective had I not been crying pretty much fit to burst, although if Stephanie was remotely moved by the teardrops then she chose not to react to it. God damn her cold hard heart.

"Your loyalty is honorable Lauren, but it's making this harder than it has to be."

I laughed,

"Um, says you who's holding me captive because she doesn't like my boyfriend."

"It has to be done."

I blinked in astonishment,

"Are you kiddingme? No it doesn't. This isn't normal Steph – this is totally messed up."

"Welcome to the wrestling world," she responded almost idly, "Nothing is too much."

"Hypocritical bitch."

It came out as a frustrated little mumble and part of me assumed – and hoped – she wouldn't have heard. Naturally however thanks to being _not human_ , she picked it up instantly and her eyes narrowed,

"What?"

Oh crap _._

Still, there was no sense in trying to deny it because I made a good point – well, not the _bitch_ bit – so I took a deep breath and swept the tears from my vision to scowl across the bed at her,

"You're a total hypocrite."

"I assume you're talking about myself and your father?"

She caught on fast,

"You damn well know I am."

"That was different Lauren."

"How?" I barked back at her, "Because from where I'm sitting it's exactly the same. You fell in love with someone you weren't allowed to but you didn't give him up and you _made_ things okay. Why don't I get to have the same chance here? What part of me being happy is so bad?"

For a moment Stephanie simply sat and stared back at me and a tiny little part of my tired and harassed consciousness genuinely thought she was going to agree.

She and Hunter were Dean and I from history.

Star-crossed lovers hanging on against the world.

If anyone in this crazy situation could see where I was coming from it had to be her. I could understand my father being pretty irrational since I was his daughter and that made things blur but Stephanie had literally been where I was standing and could relate to me.

Couldn't she?

"Sweetheart – ,"

" _Please_ Steph, _please_."

Somewhere in the background Kane shifted briefly and glancing up at his scrunch-faced expression I was surprised to find him looking unsure. Maybe he thought that his boss would give into me? Maybe he thought she actually should?

Yeah, maybe not –

No sympathy for the devil or in his case from the devil.

He had no remorse for this whole thing at all.

"Honey, I'm trying to help you – ," Steph reached out to me and in response I slithered defiantly off the bed, backing up until my body hit the window and shaking my head in her direction.

No more.

For a second or two longer she continued to hold her hand out, as if she thought I might genuinely change my mind. Then she sort of shrugged it off idly and turned away from me, like the whole gesture was no big deal.

"Fine," she sniffed, "Have it your way Lauren, believe it or not I didn't come for a heart-to-heart."

I frowned a little,

"So what did you come for?"

"Actually I came to show you this – ,"

Standing up suddenly she crossed towards the dresser, which the little flat screen was quietly perching above. Picking the remote up, she turned it on briskly before flicking through several channels.

What the hell was going on?

She stopped at a sudden fast-moving flashing image and it didn't take me long to realize what it was. The cameras flicked out to a wide-shot of an arena, jam-packed with people and cheering like mad. The sound was off but I would have known it anywhere and my heart turned over.

It was Thursday?

Smackdown.

Despite the fact that it played towards the tail-end, the show itself was taped early in week meaning that while _this_ one had been being recording I had been in the midst of a drug-induced sleep. It would also have been nearly a day since I had stepped out and in all likelihood Dean would have been going roundly mad.

Dean.

Crap _._

My body froze instantly as every last available process shut down. My blood stopped pumping, my limbs stopped moving and in the shock of realization I even vaguely forgot to breathe. Did this mean that I was going to see my boyfriend and witness his pain?

Stephanie just grinned.

It was a deeply insincere and worrying expression and I took that as a _yes_.

I was going to see Dean.

All at once I felt both happy and anxious. Would he have eaten, gotten any rest, shaved? My fingers curled around themselves and then drew in tightly and my whole body tensed.

I didn't have to wait long.

No sooner had the pyro and introductions ended than The Shield's intrusive theme music loudly blared out, sending the fans onto their feet in elation and making my heart beat a glad little tune. The cameras zoomed in to a spot high in the audience and I actually gasped in relief.

There he was.

Clattering down the steps at the head of his teammates and easily outstripping them with a desperate pace. He cleared the barriers in one simple movement and then turned and stalked to where the timekeepers sat, demanding a microphone and doing it loudly as Seth and Roman quietly followed in his wake. All three of them looked dark and dangerous with fury and it warmed me just a little to know it was for me. My eyes however, never left my boyfriend and I drank him in as he swung through the ropes, pacing the ring like a man-eating lion and very nearly speechless with pure boiling rage.

"Hunter," he roared, "You get your ass out here – get your ass out here and tell me where she is."

He left it at that, still pacing like a demon and only stopping to shrug himself from Seth or Roman's grip. His voice was deep and gruff and so damn comforting that I actually inhaled like it was some sort of drug. Dean looked red-eyed which could only be from tiredness and he had a day's stubble growth which made him seem wild.

Who was I kidding?

My boyfriend _was_ wild and as my father's music kicked in he almost hulked out. He probably would have marched up the ramp and clobbered him but fortunately for everyone, Roman held on tight, wrapping his arms around Dean's whole body and pinning him in place which was by no means an easy task. Seth was trying to talk to him rationally but their efforts were pointless and we all of us knew why.

As the cameras panned round they revealed my smirking father with Randy _Asshole_ Orton and fellow lackey Batista standing side by side and smirking down the ramp.

Smirking _?_

I'll admit it hit me like a gut punch or something even harder, like a wrecking ball to the ribs. Dean had asked him where the hell he had taken me and my father was responding to my abduction with a grin. At one point he even looked at Randy and chuckled after which I suddenly started feeling pretty sick.

Was this whole thing some sort of weird joke to him?

Was he laughing and snickering because he thought he'd won?

How could this unfeeling jerk be my father and the same sweet, overprotective figure I had known? The solid little family I had built up around me came tumbling down right there and then. No way was there ever a chance we could fix things.

My life as a Helmsley was utterly done.

"She?" Hunter chirped into the microphone still grinning, like a shaven headed cat who had nabbed all the cream and with Randy predictably tittering beside him in truly pathetic _evil minion_ style, "You might have to be a little more specific there – ,"

Dean growled back,

" _Lauren_. What the hell did you do to her?"

Good.

Okay, that was a good thing.

Dean was clearly not of the opinion that I'd run off. Instead he knew instantly that someone must have snatched me and had zoned in on the deeply guilty party right away. It felt almost a little like I was dating a detective, a famous one like Holmes or Sam Spade or Kojak. In fact I was so impressed by his brilliant awareness that I actually let out a giddy little _yes_. Kane turned his head to look at me fiercely and I swiftly shut up and focused back on the set.

"Lauren?" Hunter echoed as if he was puzzled and just hearing him saying my name made me actually flinch, "You mean my daughter?"

Dean's whole body bristled and he stepped towards the apron and chest-bumped the ropes.

 _You fucking know it is._

Thank god he didn't say that, otherwise the censors would have taken the show off. To that point Vince would have been massively unhappy and my boyfriend might have possibly been out of a job. Not that Dean seemed bothered by the prospect. He was ready to rumble and itching to go.

"My daughter is safe with her family as she should be – ," Hunter threw back as I let out a laugh, "She sent me tonight to give you a message, so listen up Ambrose because this you'll wanna hear."

 _Huh?_

I turned towards Stephanie frowning,

"What message? I never said anything – ,"

" _Sssh_ , just watch."

There was a horrible feeling starting to spread through my stomach and I swallowed around the growing knot in my throat. My stepmother was staring at her husband in elation, much like a mortal staring up at a god. A few days ago I might have thought it was romantic but now I just thought it was pretty damn sad. Frightening too though, because it meant they had something.

A scheme.

An idea.

A textbook evil plan.

The options and horrible possibilities were endless but what I didn't expect was for Hunter to raise his hand, dangling something long and thin from his fingers and making my heart seize up.

 _Oh god._

Glinting brightly in the beam of the spotlights was the precious missing earring that had belonged to my mom, strung on the chain that Dean had styled around it, in what was easily my most treasured and most adored gift. My hand flew up to my neckline instinctively and I bit a little gasp out,

"Son of a – ,"

"Hey."

It was Kane who snapped and I clamped my mouth tightly not wanting to rile him up anymore. Stephanie meanwhile sat on the bedsheets, barely blinking her gaze on the screen was so intense. From the corner of my eyes I saw Dean reacting and his face was like mine, which was in essence –

What the fuck _?_

"Recognize this?" Hunter grumbled merrily, twirling the pendent which was _one hundred years old_ ,

"No, don't break it – ," I wailed at no one before letting out a sigh when he finally stopped,

"This was a gift that you gave to my daughter and now – at her request – I'm giving it back. It's over between you Ambrose, she doesn't want to see you. Not after the stunt you pulled Monday night. Did you think she would pick you over her father? Huh. I guess you did. Well then I've got bad news. Kind of embarrassing to do this in public but on behalf of my little girl, Ambrose? _You're_ _dumped_."

Around the arena the crowd went ballistic, raining down a hail of both whistles and jeers. To further his point Hunter dropped down the necklace and then swaggered off leaving it like an old piece of trash. Not that I was really paying much attention. My eyes were too tear-blurred to properly watch. What I did see however was Dean fighting off his teammates and diving through the ropes before charging up the ramp. He fell to his knees in front of the pendent and then with his taped hands carefully scooped it up.

 _Thank god._

The fact that it was back with someone who would look after it almost made me blow out a breath of pure relief, although that quickly faded as I noticed Dean's expression which was so mixed up I barely knew _what_ the hell to think. He still seemed angry – that was a given – but he also looked hurt and uncertain as well. As if maybe he thought there was some truth to Hunter's message and it made my heart turn over as my tears spilled out,

"No, Dean – ,"

Ignoring the fact that Kane and Steph were watching, I instinctively surged in closer to the screen, placing my hands over the spot where my man was and talking to him desperately as if he could hear, as if it hadn't been taped two days earlier and as if I could change the shitty way things were,

"Please Dean, please, don't listen – he's lying _._ Please come and get me. Please take me home."

Suddenly the image became frozen in front of me and I turned round to find Steph pointing the remote. Her face – almost as ever – was pale and expressionless and it frightened me that I could find no humanity in her eyes.

"I'm sorry Lauren, but like I said, it's over. What's done is done."

"He won't believe it you know."

Stephanie barked out a little peal of laughter before pointing to the screen,

"He already does."

Admittedly Dean looking pretty damn deflated but that didn't mean anything. I couldn't believe that. If Dean truly thought that I didn't want to be with him then that meant he would have to stop looking for where I was. That couldn't happen. I needed him to get me. I needed him to take me out of that place. The more I looked though, the more I could see it. Dean was on the brink of giving up on me and _that_ expression had been from two days earlier.

What if he had already stopped?

Turning round to Stephanie I choked a weary sob out, feeling exhausted and defeated and crushed.

"I-I don't understand w-what I ever d-did to you."

"You didn't do anything, you just have to learn. Family comes first in this business Lauren, _always_ and the sooner you get that, the easier life will be."

She turned on her heel then, making things final and began to strut away towards the door. I launched myself after her, needing to stop her, needing to do something – anything – to make her see. Unfortunately however, Kane blocked my trajectory and I bounced off his shirt front and crumpled down on shaking legs.

"Please – ," I whimpered, knowing it was useless and he glared for a second and then frowned. It wasn't exactly an angry expression but then again nor was it a comforting one. It was cold, like the rest of them, icy and unfeeling and with a sniff of disinterest he walked out and locked the door.

Dean's broken face stared back at me in freeze-frame, his haunted blue eyes almost filling up the room. I crawled towards it and put my hands against him, stroking his stubble.

"Dean, please don't give up."

* * *

 **Next chapter, things get so much worse than they already are because you've got to take the rough before you can take the smooth.**

 **See you there!**


	7. Things Get Worse

**Okay, the title of this one is fairly accurate because things definitely get a lot worse. I'm really mean to Lauren in this one but I also throw in a little twist as well (sort of, maybe?)**

 **xXBalorBabeXx, Aww, glad you have such faith in Dean here! You might be right about Hunter and Steph, but then again picking crazy fights and feuds in pretty much what they do best. No one can start a rivalry like Hunter, although in this chapter Randy gives it a good try!**

 **Mandy, Um, your heart might hurt for Lauren a lot more after this chapter and I apologize now, because I'm really pretty mean, but then again I did promise drama and there is certainly going to be a lot of that here. After the storm comes a rainbow though, right?!**

 **Wolfgirl2013, Yeah, poor Lauren, I'm going to have to buy her a big box of chocolates after this one! Oooh, you might be right about Randy (and the** _ **yikes**_ **bit) but Lauren definitely doesn't want to date him, or really be within a ten miles radius of anywhere he is, especially after this one!**

 **TheSilverWolff, Oooh, yep, you've definitely walked back into the drama...um...my bad?! Honestly though, I'm just super glad you love this couple, I adore writing them and could do it forever but I sometimes worry people might get bored (not me though). Love that you're so invested in them!**

 **Raze Olympus, Okay so this chapter** _ **might**_ **push you over the edge, but I promise things get better at some point, because you know I am never relentlessly mean to my characters. I love them too much (even Lauren, although I'm tough on her here). Put the gun down, I've given fair warning!**

 **HannonsPen, Haha, I'll take good terrible every single time! But yeah, I get where you're coming from, I like being super mean to this pairing (or Dean in my other stories) because it makes the hurt/comfort pay off all the sweeter...assuming we have one in this story of course…**

 **Minnie1015, So I guess that puts you firmly in the** _ **Dean won't buy it camp**_ **then? Interesting. Obviously I can neither confirm nor deny that suggestion (because I'm cruel) so I guess you'll just have to keep reading, although before we get our answer, we've got another rough ride!**

 **AngelsDestiny22, I certainly have created a whole list of people who are against Dean and Lauren haven't I? Whoops, I really have to stop doing that! I'm happy that you're feeling for Lauren, but I've got to say this chapter is the toughest of the bunch, so strap yourself in!**

 **Skovko, Hey, Stephanie has a heart...it's just made of iron and shut in a tiny box somewhere deep, deep down and...okay, she doesn't have a heart! Plus, you're right about Dean being the only person who knows what the necklace really means, but what if he's given up on her? Hmmm?**

 **So, who's been missing Randy?**

* * *

 **Things Get Worse**

I spent the rest of the night into the early hours of the morning lying in a ball and crying fit to burst. I felt miserable – _miserable_ – with every part of me achy and wearied by hours of painful sobs.

The last time I had felt so broken was when my mother had died nearly nine months ago and I had vowed to myself afterwards that I would never return to a place of such darkness and hopelessness again. It was ironic – or then again maybe it wasn't – that my one remaining parent had triggered such despair because while my mother had not intended to upset me, my father by contrast very definitely had.

Crazy.

It was _crazy_.

The whole thing was senseless and quite frankly illegal but who knew or cared? I had long learnt that wrestling ran to its own rulebook and justice was often violent and delivered in the ring. After all, I had been kidnapped by Bray Wyatt and the guy was still there just wandering around. Some days he acted like it had never even happened and by and large everybody else did as well.

This time however, there would be no forgetting and never would there ever be a live and let live. What Hunter and Stephanie had done was unforgivable. They were putting me through hell all in the name of success.

Bray Wyatt was a monster and abduction was no stretch for him.

But Hunter was my father.

He should have _kept_ me from harm.

Instead however he had dragged me right into it and made his doctor complicit in knocking me out. Really – in the scheme of things – Hunter and Wyatt were no different although at least Bray had the alibi of being insane.

Hunter didn't have that.

He was a well thought-out businessman being driven by greed and that would _never_ be okay. In fact as far as I was concerned on the matter, I didn't even have a father anymore and I wished with every second that crept oh so slowly past me, that he would saunter back in so I could tell him then and there. I wanted to see the look on his features and watch his face crease in upset and then burn.

I hated him fiercely.

Except, I sort of didn't and honestly the mixed emotions made everything feel worse.

In fact nobody seemed to stop by to check up on me which for some strange reason, I had assumed they maybe would. Stephanie _at least_ I had subconsciously figured since whoever was in the house must have heard my broken sobs. But there was nothing and no one except my own pity and the still frozen image of my boyfriend on the screen.

In the interim I had backed the Smackdown taping up a bit, to the moment when Dean had been glaring across the ropes. I hadn't been able to cope with his expression when he had scooped up the necklace, so I had found a better shot and the sight of him glaring into the distance had helped to shore up a tiny part of my resolve. Mostly however, I didn't want to be without him and so even him frowning was better comfort than not. In fact I was staring at it through tear-stained eyeballs when the door unlocked suddenly and a figure strode in.

Or, well – not strode – more like stumbled but it was someone nonetheless and my heart hit my throat.

 _Dean?_

It was strange to me that even after three days, I still expected to see him walk in. I still expected each visitor to be him and I still expected him to come and take me home. In many regards my hope was almost pitiful and seeing it in my eyes, the newcomer smirked.

It took me a second to register the features but when I did my heart stopped.

Not in a good way either.

 _Damn._

"R-Randy?" I spluttered, pushing myself upright and quickly trying to scrub the tears from my eyes. The sight of him there made me instantly uncomfortable and I wanted to be able to see him clearly at all times.

"Hey look," he grinned in response, his words slurring, "If it isn't the _Golden Child_ all on her own. What's with the tears Laurie babe? Didn't they tell you? Now you're free of Ambrose, you get to date me."

I blinked in confusion and looked at him closer, coming swiftly to the conclusion that The Viper was drunk. To be honest I didn't even know what he was doing there. Had he been there all the time or was he my new guard? Either way, his sentence made me bristle and I growled my reply out,

"I'm _not_ free of Dean."

Randy snorted loudly,

"Didn't y' see it? Hunter told that asshole to back off. Gave that crappy necklace shit right on back to him. Made it pretty clear, so trust me, he's gone."

"Trust _me_ ," I replied a little croakily, "He isn't."

In return Randy simply frowned for a second, before letting a grin slide over his teeth. It didn't reach his eyes though and _that_ was unsettling because the look in his cold orbs was nowhere near kind. In fact he looked sort of hungry or even curious and my heart promptly flipped as he pushed shut the door.

 _Crap._

I had kind of been hoping I could hightail it out of there by dodging his drunkenness and then making a break along the hall, but of course he was _just_ about sober enough to think of that and quite frankly, who was I kidding? He would still have moved fast. So instead I continued to sit in vague silence while slowly drawing up my knees to my chest. I didn't have any idea what he wanted but my spidey sense was tingling.

That wasn't good.

"Why do your waste your time on that asshole?"

I blinked in response to him,

 _Asshole?_

"Who, Dean?"

Randy waved a hand like it was one and the same to him,

"Asshole, Ambrose, you know who I mean."

"Because he's my boyfriend," I replied, "Because I love him, because he's always there for me and never lets me down. Why does anyone ever love someone? Because they meet a person and everything just fits. That's how it is for me and Dean – ,"

I tailed off sharply as he let out a snort, blushing at him slightly but glaring as well. I had hoped that by trying to talk to him logically I would be able to break through the booze-induced haze, but clearly The Viper was no more pleasant wasted than he was when he was good and not drunk.

What a surprise that he was a dick always.

Total, total surprise.

Yeah okay, _not_.

"Such a fucking chick thing to say," Randy grumbled bitterly, rubbing his face,

"What do you want me to do?" I shrugged, "Lie to you? I love Dean. That's not going to change. Doesn't matter who asks me to do it – you _or_ my father – you can't make it go away."

At the weight behind my words Randy's brow quirked upwards and a tremor or something flashed clean through his eyes, it made me shudder and a cold chill passed over me that left me feeling nauseous.

The look was all wrong.

"Can't _make_ you?" he repeated, cocking his head a little which made him seem like a curious dog. It was something Boomer did every so often although when he did it the quirk looked pretty darn cute. In Randy however it was deeply unsettling and in response I shuffled back across the bed.

"No," I echoed calmly, "You can't."

"You sure about that?"

He took a step in and my heart turned over.

 _Oh god, not good._

"Randy – ," I started, "What are you doing?"

He spread his hands,

"I'm giving your father what he wants."

"Well whatever _this_ is, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't want it. I – I'm his daughter. His only daughter. Remember that? He wouldn't want you anywhere near me. Not this way – ,"

Randy shook his head,

"Come on, he's always saying you and me should get together."

He stepped in again and I held my hands up, trying to look defensive like Dean had taught me, but unable to really pull off the look. My face was blotchy and raw from all the crying so that it probably looked just a little like I'd been punched. I was scrunched on the bed like an unloved ragdoll and my raised arms were shaking.

In fact my whole body was.

In short I looked in no way like I could fight him off me and that thought unfortunately spurred The Viper on. In the time it took to blink he had launched across the bed at me and with a squeak of alarm I promptly rolled off.

Ideally I had been hoping to land sort of gracefully – or, if not gracefully, then at least on my toes – but instead however I toppled over sideways and landed face first against the carpet on my arms. The force of the impact knocked the wind clean out of me and so it took me longer than I had wanted to get up. Even so, Randy was still sprawled across the comforter and so I tried to burst out of there by skirting around the bed.

"Come here Lauren – ,"

I screamed as he grabbed hold of me, diving out of nowhere and slamming me hard against the wall. His entire body followed, pinning me against it and crushing me between drywall and his crazy hard pecs. He was taller than me – by quite a big distance – which meant that his giant head blocked out the light. It was like being trapped in some sort of _Randy tunnel_ because that was what I could feel on all sides. I fought against it, trying to lever him off me, still attempting to sound calm,

"Get off."

"No."

With his head hanging down I could feel his breath on me and it blew down my neck and rippled hot across my skin. I could also smell it and – as I had suspected – it was laced with what must have been litres of drink. In many ways it seemed surprising that the guy was even standing, although from what I had heard he'd done worse things than that.

Maybe alcohol was the better of those evils?

Although it didn't help his questionable judgement one bit.

"Randy," I tried – a little breathily – for a second time but he simply shook his head and palmed my hands off, removing them from where they were flattened over his collarbone and somehow managing to pin them up against my chest.

I couldn't move and he damn well knew it.

Which was why he suddenly ducked in for a kiss.

What?

 _No._

My body exploded but probably not in the way he would have liked, because instead of excitement or base anticipation, I felt only horror and so screwed up my eyes, twisting my head to take my lips from his orbit and leaving him with nothing but my tear slickened cheek.

"Randy, no – ,"

He slapped his mouth against it and at once the contact was sloppy and rough. He was going at my face like he was lost in the desert and trying to suck the liquid from out of a stone. In fact I wasn't sure he even knew _what_ he was kissing and nor was I sure that he would even much care. It wasn't about seduction or even the romance, it was all just some weird pissing contest with Dean.

"Stop."

With the realization that I was still speaking – and shouldn't have been able to had he been doing it right – Randy stopped and leaned back just a little before groaning in annoyance like I was ruining his game.

"Goddamnit will you quit trying to fight me?"

I tried to wriggle away from him,

"No _._ "

I swung up a knee in an attempt to catch his ballsack but he twisted his hips to trap my body fast. Clearly he was not at all impressed with my efforts because he suddenly roared and threw out a fist.

 _Crap._

For a second I assumed that the knuckles were coming my way and so I curled up and let out a terrified yelp. Fortunately however, the punch flew right past me and instead buried solidly into the wall.

"Fuck," Randy yelled, from either pain or frustration or maybe an alcohol-fuelled blend of both, "What the hell is wrong with you Lauren? Millions of women would kill for this chance."

"Well I'm not one of them," I bit back stubbornly as I tried to pull my hands away from his grasp, "Please, let me go – turn around and walk out of here. If you do, I won't tell Hunter."

If my father even cared.

Still, Randy had no way of knowing I'd disowned him since I doubted that Hunter had spread that around. It didn't go well with his whole _winning at everything_ to have the fact his child hated him too widely known.

In response however, Randy just snorted and leaned himself a little further in. Dropping his head he grazed his lips across my jawline and then let out a deep growl that made my hair stand on end. He was back to the whole sort of hungry and turned on vibe and I struggled again, harder,

"Randy, don't you dare – ,"

"Come on Lauren, don't tell me you don't want this."

He tilted his groin a little against me and I could feel a stiffening bulge.

 _Oh god._

"I _don't_."

"Not buying it."

"Please Randy, I'm begging you," I choked out, more thick tears starting to form around my eyes, "Please just stop before you do something stupid. Think about this Randy – please just think."

For a second he stopped and then seemed to pull away from me, but sadly my relief was very short-lived as before I could even start to process my emotions, he gave my trapped hands a very violent tug, yanking me across the carpet towards him and into an off-balance tumble towards the bedsheets.

"Wha – ,"

I hit the mattress face first and pretty heavily and it succeeded in driving the air from my chest. Alarm flooded through me as I registered him moving and not wanting to be flat I tried my best to spin around. Randy's hands were already all across me and I flailed my arms and legs and attempted to call out,

" _Help_."

I didn't know who in the hell I was calling but at that point I would have taken anyone else. I would have taken an elderly cleaner or the chef or even the boy who cleaned the pool. In fact, had Mussolini felt like sauntering in to save me, I would have welcome his ass with open arms as well. But unfortunately no one appeared on the horizon and Randy grabbed my hair to get me to stop,

"Shut up."

By that point I had been rolled clean over and Randy was on top of me, straddling my thighs. He had lent in close to pin my arms to the mattress and his eyes were blazing with anger and lust.

 _Oh god, oh god._

I knew what he wanted and there was no way he was getting it, short of actually taking it of course. But Randy wouldn't do that and he wasn't that desperate.

He was a great many things but he wasn't one of those.

Or, at least I naturally assumed he wasn't, but the longer he leered down at me the more I grew unsure. There was something unhinged and almost absent in his expression like he could no longer focus on rationale or the law. Moving his arm he trapped my wrists close together, pinning them with one hand which left the other free to roam.

"You want me Lauren," he grumbled and I shuddered, his finger tracing the skin over my throat,

"No I _don't_."

But my scream seemed useless and as I choked a sob down his touch wandered south, flickering over my blouse at the cleavage and pinging one of the buttons undone. I struggled against him and then again at the second one, yelling and struggling for all I was worth.

This couldn't be happening.

This was a nightmare.

Then Randy dropped his lips down to put a kiss on my neckline, slobbering like a god damn bull mastiff right the way over my prickling skin.

I was stuck.

I was trapped.

I was powerless to stop him.

Except then – without warning – someone yanked Randy back, tearing him off me with such sudden fervour that I slithered off the bed, still caught in his grasp.

 _Huh?_

Glancing up I watched two bodies tumble away from me with a bigger, broader man angrily fighting Randy off. It still wasn't Dean – I could tell from just glancing – and despite assuming Hunter, that wasn't who it was. I was still crying heavily from the shock of the assaulting and so it took a few seconds but when my eyes cleared I gasped.

Kane.

It was god damn _Kane_ of all people and not only that but he was furious as well, slamming Randy so hard into the cabinet that the flat screen wobbled and fell right off, clattering down with a crash onto the carpet and then dying as the satellite and power cables pinged out.

Kane _?_

I blinked.

Was that better than Mussolini?

Confused as I was, I couldn't be sure, although thanks to his size and Randy's booze-addlement he was able to subdue the leaner, sun-kissed asshole man, grabbing him by the lapels of his collar and propelling him backwards with violent force,

"Are you mad? What the hell do you think you were doing?"

Randy just shrugged,

"What's it look like to you?"

In response to his callousness, I let another sob out and Kane turned to look at me with an expression like remorse.

"Get out," Kane barked at the boozy viper darkly, before using his hands to start the action himself. In response, Randy stumbled a little on the carpet but – to my relief – actually did as he was told. Probably he didn't want the hassle of both of us, because apparently for those few seconds, Kane and I were a team.

I didn't breath again until I saw him go completely, at which point I fell to pieces and sobbed against the quilt. I didn't even have the energy to stand upright, I simply sat slumped, bawling on the floor in a heap.

From across the room Kane blew a short breath out,

"I – I'm sorry, that won't happen again."

"Please – ," I wailed in reply, barely listening and pleading with him, _pleading_ , "I just want Dean."

The Director of Operations hovered for a second before grunting in frustration.

Then he was gone.

* * *

 **Ugh, I told you I was mean to her here, but that can't last forever, right?**

 **See you in three days...**


	8. Capture And Release

**Not actually going to say anything about this chapter, because I know you guys are anxious to go, so let's do this thing, huh?!**

 **Kayla English, No! Don't cry, things will get better for Lauren I promise, but there's no hurt comfort Dean moments without putting her through the wringer a bit first! Hopefully you'll like this chapter. It's one of my favourites in this whole series, which is saying something! Happy reading!**

 **xXBalorBabeXx, I remember that whenever I watched Corporate Kane that I got the impression he did things for business but wasn't necessarily happy about it. So he wouldn't just stand by and let Randy be Randy...he still has a heart in there somewhere, buried deep inside!**

 **Mandy, Kane becoming an unlikely hero figure is totally not something I saw from this story when I started out, but I guess I like Kane too much (I was a wrestling fan of the 00's) to make him totally out and out bad. I mean, he's not** _ **great**_ **but hey, he's not Randy!**

 **Wolfgirl2013, Well, there are lots of people who could come through for Lauren and get her out of there and looks like I've just added big bad Kane to the list, but hopefully this chapter will clear things up on that front so I hope you enjoy it!**

 **TheSilverWolff *Stands by with defibrillator pads* You okay now? I know, I'm so mean to Lauren in this, but hey, that isn't going to last forever (hint, hint) And yeah, that's my one big curveball, that Kane is a bad but not** _ **totally**_ **bad guy! This chapter is one of my faves, hope you love it!**

 **Moxley Gal1, Hunter is totally dead to her at this point and with good reason. I mean, the man isn't even there! I think it's pretty to safe to say that Lauren is over him at this point. Those Helmsley McMahons be crazy and she wants out of it!**

 **Minnie1015, Cliffhangers are my speciality, what can I say? Is it bad I let loose an evil sounding chuckle whenever I knock a particular cruel cliffhanger out? Glad you still believe in our boy but is your confidence misplaced? *Mwhaha* Read on and find out (cliffhangers in these bits now too!)**

 **Skovko, You know that things have gotten pretty darn bleak when The Big Red Machine is the lightning rod of decency in any given situation! Still, at least he was there. As for Hunter? He's into this crazy plan enough to do anything, but we'll get to him later…**

 **HannonsPen, Aww, I'm actually really happy that you're worried about Kelly! Glad you like all the characters. Safe to say Kelly is probably swearing up a storm somewhere! But don't worry, you know I'm going fix things somehow, right?**

 **What are you still doing up here folks? Get 'a readin'!**

* * *

 **Capture And Release**

The moment that Randy and Kane had walked out on me, I tried my to hardest again to break free, unable to take the uncertainty and misery and terrified about the new looming threat as well.

Kane had assured me that the attack was a one off but how in the hell could I even be sure? If the big guy hadn't heard what was happening and got up there then Randy might have –

 _Could_ have –

 _Wanted_ to –

I stopped.

Just the mere thought of what might have happened made me feel all of sorts of dizzy, nauseous and raw. There were several times in the last year that I had felt helpless but I had never felt so powerless before. The memory of Randy's face and hands haunted me and I shuddered whenever they popped back into my mind's eye.

I didn't trust him not to come back again.

No way could I stay there.

I had to get out.

Unfortunately however – and much as I'd expected – the passage of time hadn't loosened the bars. Nor had I magically worked out how to lock pick and I didn't dare try to just bust my way out of there in case the cacophony brought Randy back up. I wasn't strong enough to see him again mentally and nor was I physically built to fight the guy off. For all I really knew _he_ was my guard now and Kane had been packed up or given the day off.

To that end I tried to find a some way to protect myself and my first thought – my plan – had been blocking the door. I had a bed and a fairly large cabinet to choose from, so all I had to do was slide one across. That way they wouldn't be able to get in to me and I would have the power.

Well, some of it at last.

The problem with that though – much like fighting Randy – was that I simply didn't have the muscles to succeed and so although I pulled and pushed and grunted neither the cabinet nor the bed moved even by an inch. Because wasn't that just damn typical of Stephanie to have her abduction house furnished with solid hardwoods? I mean who even bought mahogany fixtures? Far less to add style to where they had folk locked up? In short it was all just another reminder of how insane my new family was and I gave up again and slumped down crying, my back against the cabinet crying into my hands.

For the rest of the night I slept up against the doorway, wrapped in the blanket and dozing on and off. It was the only way I could think of to keep myself alert enough, just in case Randy decided to sneak back. It meant I would be thumped with the door if he came through t but at least I would know and be fully awake.

Not that it helped my lingering exhaustion.

I couldn't remember my last full night's sleep. Except that I could, it had been back on Sunday, wrapped up with Dean after the pay-per-view was complete. The thought of his arms around me was magical and I drifted off to it and dreamt I was back. It meant that waking up in the morning was brutal but the memory at least forced me back onto my feet.

Dean was coming.

It didn't matter what Randy thought.

Dean _was_ coming and until he got there I had to fight. The furniture pushing idea had disappointingly failed me but that didn't mean I didn't still have a choice. If I couldn't block the door then I had to find a weapon and so as a pinkish dawn broke, that was precisely what I did.

The broken bits of flat screen I discounted in an instant because although they were sharp they were slightly too thin. Randy had the hide of a fully grown elephant, fragments of plastic would barely penetrate his skin.

My next idea was a drawer from the cabinet, which I thought I could maybe bring down across his head. If Stephanie had insisted on buying something solid, then the least I could do was put it to use. Sadly however – through either planning or coincidence – each of the runners was well nailed down, presumably to stop the compartments from coming free every time anyone got something out. It didn't help me though and I bit a little curse out, looking around.

What other option did I have left?

I saw the lamp from the corner of my vision and then let out a gasp of excitement.

"That's _it_."

The stick was bronze effect in faux antique style but was heavy and purposeful and had a flattened base. If I swung well enough it would make a trusty baton and so I turned it upside down and tried to wrestle free the lead.

It was kind of surprising that Kane hadn't brought breakfast – not that I would have eaten it, no matter how I felt – mostly because he was always pretty punctual and in my world of unknowns it had become a routine. Maybe he really had taken the day off which meant Asshole Orton was maybe still around. The thought spurred me on, as did the sound of footsteps and very hushed voices somewhere out along the hall.

 _Crap._

My stomach rolled over and over on instinct and then flipped again as I heard the door unlock. Quickly I flattened myself up against the window and shakily held up my baseball-bat-come-lamp. My face was scowling – or least it was trying to – and I sucked a shaky breath in.

 _Come on Randy, try again._

But when the door clicked open it wasn't my attacker, nor was it my father or stepmother or Kane. Instead it was three men dressed in black cargo pants, with thick black boots and tactical vests. There was one of them in particular standing front and centre who had stepped into the room before the others, moving first. My eyes drifted over him and then stared in silence.

I had to be dreaming.

There in front of me stood Dean.

"Lauren – ," he frowned, stepping towards me and I backed up further and mumbled his name. For a minute I couldn't process the emotions, although disbelieving shock was definitely one. How was he there? Where had he come from? Was he even real? His eyes implied yes. They were swimming with fury and relief and elation and they were safe and loving –

In short, they were home.

" _Dean_."

That was it.

I folded like a ragdoll, hitting the carpet with a weak sounding thud. The lamp rolled out of my hand and away from me, but that was okay. I didn't need it anymore.

"Lauren? Baby?"

I could hear Dean calling out to me but I was too tired to move from my collapsed little spot and so instead he swiftly crossed the carpet towards me and dropped into a squat, his hands on my arms.

"D-Dean?"

"Easy baby. Jesus _fuck_ you had me worried. Lauren? Princess? Hey, you okay?"

"I – I – ,"

"Look at me."

But suddenly I couldn't.

Because what if I did and he wasn't really there? I honestly didn't think my poor heart could take it if I was still asleep and huddled up against the door. So instead I fought it, or was _going_ to fight it until two things happened which made me rethink. The first was that a hit of Dean's aftershave washed over me, wrapping its scent in around me like a hug and the second was that Dean reached in and swept my hair back, brushing the sodden strands away from my face. The movement was small but it made me lift my head up and – yep – there it was, just a breath away from mine.

Dean.

It was real, he really had come to get me and I let out a strangled sob and launched myself against his chest, the force of it so desperate that it actually knocked him over and he pitched onto his ass with an audible grunt.

" _Oof_ – ,"

Luckily however he recovered pretty quickly and encircled me completely with his big rugged arms. From the strength of their hold I could tell he had been frantic and more than any other part that made me want to sob. But that was okay because I was actually free to cry now – I didn't have to worry or stay so alert – and so pillowing my head in close against his neckline and clinging to his shirt front I let the tears out. It was barely even possible but Dean held me tighter, one hand on my head just holding me close,

"Sssh, baby, it's okay, it's all over, I'm here now."

"I – I t-thought you'd g-given up."

"What? Why the hell would you think that?"

"B-because I s-saw Smackdown and then R-Randy said – ,"

"Fuck him," Dean growled, his body stiff with anger, "I'm serious Lauren, fuck him, fuck 'em all. I would never give up on my girl fuckin' _ever_. Y' hear me? I'd have come and got you no matter what."

I shivered against him, the tears almost choking me,

"I missed you so much. I thought I'd n-never get out."

Somewhere behind us I heard Roman grumble and then his familiar deep tones rumbled loose,

"You mean you've been shut in this room since they took you? This whole time?"

I nodded,

"Uh huh."

"Damn baby girl."

He spun himself away from us and then spat out something angry and un _-_ Roman like. But _wow_ it was good to have the three of them around me, wrapping me in safety and base anger and love. All of those emotions were things I had been missing and in fact, hadn't been given for nearly four days. Remembering that horror anew made me shudder and as I trembled again, Dean's lips found my head, pressing a fiercely adoring kiss against my hairline and holding me tightly,

"Sssh, you're alright."

But I wasn't – not really – and both of us knew it although hearing it seemed like a promise.

 _You will be._

If Dean was there and – what was more – if he was saying it, then I believed it with every ounce of instinct I had. Dean would make things better and in time I would heal again. But more importantly he would never let me out of his sight. My fingers curled in around his shirt even tighter and I think I pinched his skin although my boyfriend didn't flinch.

"Dean – ," I started, but there wasn't a question, there wasn't really anything. I just needed to hear his name. Luckily he seemed to understand my mental breakdown and pecked another little kiss to my hair, leaving his lips there and murmuring quietly so that his gruff tones vibrated through my body like a wave.

"Sssh, I'm here, not lettin' you go again."

Then there was a cough and Seth stepped in. He was almost pulsating with fired up anxiety and watching his twitchiness made me feel oddly calm. To be honest he was expending so much nervous energy that there seemed little point in me adding more and so I simply blinked up from the cocoon of Dean's biceps and watched him flick his hair back,

"Come on man, we need to go."

Dean nodded back and him and sat up a little straighter which jolted me out of the safety of his arms. I whimpered a little – okay, more like I snivelled – and his arms found my elbows and helped me stand up.

"Easy Princess, we're gettin' you outta here, you ready to go?"

I nodded,

"God yes."

Only saying it and doing it were different realities because – frankly – my legs were almost too shocked to move. They shook though, a lot, like I was standing on an earthquake but a teeny tiny mini one that no one else felt. It meant I stumbled as Dean pulled me after him, my head sort of spinning at the thought of being free, but on feeling me struggling he changed his position to instead wrap a stabilising arm around my hips.

"Can you make it?"

His fingers were warm and protective and burnt through my jeans like a fire in a grate. I drew a deep breath in and focused on the feeling and it centred me just enough to function.

"Um, I – I think so, yep."

The four of us readily fell into formation the same way we did when we entered through the crowd. Seth was on point with Dean and I in the middle and Roman was the rear-guard backing us up.

 _Safe._

Stepping from the room that had functioned as my jail cell was a strange sort of feeling to say the very least. For the past four days it had been my whole horizon and although it had been awful, it had also been myspace. Outside had been a heady dream for so long that the act of physically being in it felt wrong and I grasped at Dean's shirt sleeve as my breath hitched a little which he responded to by grazing my hip with his thumb,

"S' okay Princess, easy, I gotcha – just focus on Seth."

I did as he said, watching the vest that was bobbing ahead of me and very occasionally looking around. We were in a long hall that was stark and unfurnished except for one solitary chair sat outside. _That_ made my stomach turn over pretty quickly. Had Kane and Randy been out there just listening to me sob? It made the tears well up again suddenly and I whimpered just a little and then fiercely fought them down. Evidently however Dean was on my wavelength because his grip grew tighter and a growl left his throat. Had we not been in such a headlong rush to get out of there, I could picture him smashing the thing into bits, although in the end he simply skirted me past it and out onto a balcony overlooking a hall.

The house I had been kept was not the real Helmsley house, which is to say it wasn't their home. The family digs I had been a guest at several times and it had always felt welcoming and comfortable and warm. This place – their other house-come-functioning-prison – was colder by contrast and pretty unloved. The proportions were grand and it felt like a mansion but there was something uninhabited and forgotten and glum. There was a chandelier hung up above the staircase and the bannisters were painted in gold but there was very little else. It seemed a shame that the building was so empty. Quite frankly it needed better than being a fancy jail.

Instead of taking the staircase and then front door – as I had supposed – the boys sped me on, along the corridor and to a window at the far end which I could see had been left very slightly ajar.

"We're gonna have to do a little bit of climbin', but don't worry, we gotcha, just trust me, alright?"

As ever I nodded at Dean's gruff instructions, knowing without a doubt that he wouldn't let me down. My faith in his judgement – in the three of them – seemed stronger for having had my lying cheating father break me down. In real terms my entire sense of trust should have been shattered but in them it was powerful and stubborn and lived on. It was why I watched as Seth scrambled through the window and then took his hand as he reached it back through, not even blinking as Dean swung my legs up and his brother gripped me solidly and slid me out across the lip. I didn't even know what I being pulled out onto but I let them do it anyway.

Dean wouldn't steer me wrong.

"Watch your head."

Sure enough – with Seth gently pressing my skull down to avoid it bumping on the open window's metal catch – I emerged into the daylight and onto a rooftop that was long and flat and empty and wide.

 _Freedom._

I sucked it in like an addict and filled my lungs with fresh air until they cried. Who would have thought you could ever get drunk on atmosphere? But the more I inhaled the more heady I felt.

"Hey," I jumped as hands palmed my hip bones then Dean was behind me, his lips against my neck, "You alright?"

I nodded back at him shakily, the tears newly falling,

"In the room, there were bars – ,"

Dean's hold tightened in barely held fury, but he managed it _just_ and grumbled,

"I know."

"I just – it's just I – ,"

"Don't think about it Lauren. I've got you – you're safe. It's all over now."

The moment was sweet and crazy and beautiful but it was swiftly interrupted by a frantic Seth again, standing across on the far side of the rooftop and windmilling wild arms like he was calling in planes. Part of me wondered if a chopper was landing but in the end all he was doing was calling us his way.

"Come on, what the hell are you doing? Taking pictures? We need to be getting the fuck outta here."

Succinct and antsy and _god_ how I'd missed them.

The three of them were my family and I fiercely loved them all.

"Alright, alright," Dean grumbled with an eye roll, taking my hand and leading me across. Roman was still there in place as our back up and he shadowed us to the spot where Seth was freaking out.

As it transpired getting down would not be graceful, especially for me who was clumsy as hell. It involved jumping down onto a flimsy looking storeroom or what was possibly the pit for those prisoners who'd done wrong. Either way it didn't look terribly sturdy and as it flexed beneath Seth, I faltered in alarm,

"Um, is this safe?"

"Trust me," Dean murmured, edging me closer as Seth held out his hands. I leant forward shakily and wrapped my fingers round them and between them they managed to gently guide me down. From there it was a simple scramble back onto the ground again and then that was it.

We were free of the house.

What we were not free of however, were the surroundings, because – as Steph had told me – the complex was large. There were ornamental gardens, a pool and then a forest and I stumbled way my through them tightly squeezing Dean's hand. By the time we made it back out onto the highway, I was breathless and dizzy and shaking like mad. It occurred to me I hadn't eaten in ages and I hadn't really slept so no wonder I was done. Their car was parked up on the side of the asphalt and it promised total freedom but there was one hurdle left. A chain link fence that reached into the branches and must have been easily – if not over – twelve feet high. In response to its appearance I let out a murmur and Dean's brow furrowed,

"Think you'll make it up there?"

"Um – ,"

"Don't worry," he offered back at me gruffly, a hand on my spine, "I'll be right there, okay?"

Seth and Roman scaled the fence like damn squirrels but I on the other hand certainly took my time. It didn't really help that my body was still _shocky_ and I was cold and shaky and also pretty numb. Mostly it felt like a crazy waking daydream or a movie I had seen once.

It didn't seem real.

Although every so often, Dean – who stayed next to me – would put a hand on my ass to help push me up. Whenever he did the feeling burnt through me and abruptly made me realize that it was happening and I was safe. The chain link hurt my fingers but at least I was doing it and Roman was there to help when I got over the other side.

"Easy baby girl."

I sighed as he caught me, taking my weight as I fell back from the wire,

"Thank you big guy."

He grinned in affection and then Seth pumped the car horn and yelled out, wild and loud,

"Come on already, you want them to see us?"

Dean hit the ground then swept past to grab my hand. Together the three of us stumbled down the incline and then over to the car before clambering in. Roman took the front seat which left the back open and Dean propelled me up before following me inside. The doors were barely shut when Seth pumped the gas pedal and I slung to one side and banged into Dean. Not that it mattered. It was precisely what I wanted and so I stayed there pressed against him as he shuffled himself around. Settling against the leather, he wrapped his arm about me and drew me in closer until I was suckered to his side. My head dropped onto his assault vest and pillowed there and his free hand cupped my cheek, supporting my weight.

"Thank you," I whispered, the knot in my throat building with relief and gratitude and anything else, "Thank you for coming and getting me out of there,"

He kissed my crown,

"Fuckin' missed you Princess. Drove me crazy not knowin' what was happenin' or where you were."

"I didn't want to go – ,"

Dean kissed me a second time as my voice broke miserably and he held on tighter,

"It's alright, I know."

"How did you find me?"

There was a momentary silence as the three of them swapped glances and then Dean sighed,

"Kane."

"Kane?" I blinked, "You mean, _Kane_ called you?"

Dean nodded,

"Last night, told us where you were – said we had to be here by sunrise and told us how to get in by goin' round the back. Who do you think left that upstairs window open?"

I frowned in confusion,

"But – but why would he help?"

There was another little pause and Dean's body stiffened, hating what was coming.

"He said something had gone down, something he didn't like and didn't want to be a part of. He said that something had happened to you. Thought someone needed to come and getcha outta there."

I sucked in my lip,

"Did he say what it was?"

My voice was whisper, both breathy and nervous as my mind flashed violently through the previous night. My body shuddered at the thought of Randy's fingers and I whimpered a little and nuzzled further into Dean.

"No," he replied although his voice was tight and anxious, "But he mentioned fuckin' Orton."

I trembled.

 _Oh god._

"What happened Lauren?" Seth chipped in from the front seat and the tears began falling as I sadly shook my head. I couldn't do it there, I didn't have the energy and as Dean pulled me closer, Roman blew out a breath,

"It's alright baby girl, we can do all this later, let's just focus on getting out of here."

I nodded in response and glanced at him in gratitude before being distracted by Dean shuffling his leg. A hand was in his pocket and he was searching for something and for a second I couldn't work out what it was. Then he pulled out a long, thin item and I gasped.

My necklace.

"Thought you might want this back."

"I didn't think I'd see it again," I mumbled, fingering it gently where it swung in the air and thinking about my mom and my father before drowning beneath a new avalanche of tears.

It hurt.

The misery physically hurt me and turning my head I buried into Dean's chest, letting him envelop me gently and lovingly and shushing me while I sobbed like I would never stop again.

I cried for ages until there was nothing left in me and then fell asleep still wrapped in his embrace. My blood family was broken but in Dean I had a better one and it was one that was always going to fight to keep me safe.

* * *

 **Dean to the rescue (Seth and Roman too) who doubted him? I love this chapter, I'm a sucker for hurt comfort and this is the literal definition of that...also the next chapter when she spills the whole story. Hope to see you there!**


	9. Home Sweet Home

**Time for some sweet boyfriend fluff I think, pretty sure our girl has earned it at this point…**

 **xXBalorBabeXx, Kane really came through for once (but don't ask him about it, he'll say it never happened). I thought I should probably let her get out of there at some point, plus I was missing super overprotective Dean (not as much as she was though!)**

 **Mandy, Kane and BIg Show have flip-flopped back and forth between heel and face so often I can't keep up. Pretty sure evil Corporate Kane is my favourite though because we got to see that weary glare! Glad you loved Dean swooping to the rescue, one of my many guilty pleasures!**

 **TheSilverWolf, Kane's teddy bear side is very deeply hidden, but still just in there enough to help facilitate the save which is what counts. Glad I didn't give you a heart attack with this one and just to make up for all the drama, this chapter is super sweet (mostly!)**

 **Wolfgirl2013, Aww is right, Dean being worried and cuddly makes me so happy to write. So much so I'm giving you some more here and lots more over their other stories too. I mean, who doesn't love teddy bear Dean, right?**

 **Labinnacslove, Yay! Glad you're back and don't worry, life gets away from all of us. I can't believe it's March already. Where is the time going? Anyway, super glad you're enjoying it. I probably shouldn't say it, but this installment is totally one of my faves!**

 **Sodapop25, Hey, glad you're still enjoying all the drama we've got going on in this one, although I'm being kind and giving the guys a bit of a breather. Not that anyone is happy and especially not when she's done explaining what happened…**

 **Raze Olympus, Well, the break actually happens in the next story (which is even longer than this one I hope you'll be pleased to hear) so you don't need to get your extra thick aloe vera tissues out in this one...soon though! *Loud villain laugh***

 **Minnie1015, Even I missed those two being together and I wrote the damn thing! As for what Dean was up to while she was missing? Mostly I think he was just tearing stuff apart although probably he thought he has some sort of method. Men, huh?!**

 **Skovko, Funnily enough the Seth turn is the next story and this might come up as a bone of contention since I'm making the Authority even more heinous than they were! Still, power corrupts and so do shiny belts and things!**

 **HannonsPen, Kane is just going to keep his head down and plead ignorance throughout the whole thing. Plus Randy is the golden child so he probably stamped his foot and his surrogate daddy gave him a key...Hunter isn't doing his best thinking in this story that's for sure!**

 **Time for the boys to hear what went down...**

* * *

 **Home Sweet Home**

I slept on and off for the rest of journey snuggled protectively in Dean's strong arms. I woke once or twice when we stopped to top the fuel up but each time Dean would shush me and his voice would lull me back. Sleep was safe now and _god_ did I need it, which was proven by the fact that I then slept right through, surfacing only as I was shifted and then carried, my head on someone's chest inhaling their warm smell,

"Dean?" I had croaked and his voice had rumbled through me, hushed and easy.

"It's okay, we're back."

Back _?_

Back where? I had wanted to ask him.

But I had been too exhausted to form the words to talk, only on the very vague fringes of awareness as he lowered me gently down onto a mattress and then set about changing my old clothes for bed, peeling the layers off slowly and steadily and wrapping me up in clean fresh threads. Once he was done, he had leaned in and kissed me, pressing his lips beneath the hair on my forehead,

"Love you baby."

"L've y' too," I'd mumbled and then instantly I had been lost to the warm world of sleep.

By the time I woke up again the world had grown darker with the brightness of day having fled for the night. There was a light on somewhere, painting the room orange but in spite of that – briefly – I couldn't fathom where I was.

 _Oh god, oh god._

Panic seized me bodily and flooded my system with cold icy dread. My brain filled with visions of Randy and captivity and I instantly stiffened.

How long had I been out?

What had Randy done while I'd been sleeping?

More importantly, where was he now?

I was so busy freaking and sucking deep breaths in that I wasn't really looking around at where I was and so as the bed shifted beneath another body I let out a high pitched and terrified squeak. Someone was crawling up the mattress towards me and moving with alarming and purposeful speed. I couldn't get loose. The sheets were wrapped round me and trapping me so tightly that I very nearly screamed. Then suddenly a black fluffy face appeared in front of me and a pair of brown eyes locked in on my own. The features were wide and grinning beneath a black nose and accompanied by a big bright lolling pink tongue. Blinking in astonishment I stretched a slow hand out, gazing at the creature in wonder,

"Boomer?"

On hearing his name he moved in a little closer, trampling across me and half-flattening my chest. But it didn't really matter because Boomer meant one thing and glancing round confirmed it.

I was at home.

I was at home in our bed, beneath our sheets with one of Dean's oversized comfy sweatshirts on. Around me were my things – things we'd bought together – and I blew out a breath of relief.

Thank god.

"Boom-Boom, I'm here, _you're_ here – _ugh_ , I missed you."

Reaching over I grabbed him gently by the jowl fluff and pulled his head down to give him a kiss. He responded by wagging his tail like a maniac and flashing his tongue out in a smooch of his own. It caught me across the cheek and I giggled and wiped it off again, taking it to mean he had missed me as well. I felt almost drunken with unspoken happiness but there was one thing still missing and I cast around,

"Dean?"

The light that was on was not in our bedroom but was shimmering in from the hall just outside. Somewhere beyond I could hear the sound of voices and they made me tense a little.

Where had Dean gone?

Had Randy stormed in and taken him hostage in a desperate attempt at snatching me back? Had Hunter shown up to try and drag me away with him and the voices were he and Dean fighting the issue back and forth?

My heart began pounding and my brain ran wild with thoughts and fears which didn't really make sense. But god they seemed plausible to my poor scrambled system and I sucked a tiny whimper in.

 _Please don't take me back._

Suddenly, in response to me, Boomer moved closer and gave my clenched fist a very gentle little lick. He was lying almost on top of me, his big head on his forepaws and although he was worried he looked contented and relaxed. If his much loved master had been in any sort of danger or arguing with someone he would have done more than that. He would have been pacing, or whining or growling and his easiness quelled my panic attack. Maybe the voices were just the television set?

Either way I had to find out.

I needed Dean to soothe my mini freak out and comfort me in the way that only he could. It meant untangling myself from the covers and shunting Boomer off which I did in one roll, dragging the quilt with me and draping it round my shoulders to trail on the floor like I was some sleepy five year old. Boomer trotted with me as I stumbled towards the hallway and then kept pace as I wobbled down the stairs. Once on the ground floor, the voices were louder and I recognized all three of them.

Dean, Roman and Seth.

The realization struck me like a thunderbolt – or something warmer and gentler than that – and letting out a breath, I turned in their direction and padded the last few little steps into the den.

"Hey," Seth barked on seeing me entering, "There she is. Sleeping Beauty awakes."

From his position on the couch I watched Dean sit up straighter, looking guilty that he hadn't quite realized I'd woken up.

"You alright Princess?"

I shuffled towards him, letting him grab my hand and pull me down against his side. Once on the sofa I snuggled in near him and tucked my feet up as his arm curled round. With his free hand he tucked the blanket folds tighter and I let out a little hum.

I loved when he did that.

My big wrestler boyfriend being all kind and thoughtful and just generally fussing around me like a middle aged mom. In response I dropped my head against his collarbone and he kissed my forehead,

"Better?"

"Uh huh."

I meant it as well, my world felt less shifted like the whole thing had righted and put me back where I belonged. Boomer clambered up clumsily beside us and despite the fact that we ran a no couch rule, neither Dean or I made a move to push him off. Taking his chance, he collapsed down quickly and tucked himself with a tiny happy grunt against my side,

"I gotta say you look a lot more like yourself again," Roman commented from his spot across the room, sitting one leg hooked over the other in the leather recliner, a beer in his hand.

I nodded,

"I'm starting to feel kind of me _-_ like as well, you know? Not quite so weird and sort of spaced out."

"You had us kind of worried for a second," Roman continued, by _us_ meaning Dean, "Not like you to go off without calling and letting this one over here know where you were."

He gestured lazily with the neck of his bottle and – yep – sure enough, he was pointing at Dean. Clearly my boyfriend had gone crazy in my absence and he and Seth had been the ones to calm him down. Or at least as much as they were physically able to, which undoubtedly hadn't been a very easy task. Acknowledging it, Dean vaguely dropped one of his hands down and gave my blanket covered hip a minute little tap. It was at once equal parts both chiding and comforting as if to silently reassure himself that I was there. In response to it I reached up and kissed him on the jawline and his eyes slid to mine and held me there, firm.

"So," Seth offered briskly, ruining the moment in the special and fired-up way that only he could, "Are you going to tell us what actually happened? How did Hunter get you?"

I blinked.

The moment was so comfortable and warm and relaxing and yet saying the next sentence was going to blow it up. They would all of them be angry but Dean would go ballistic and I didn't want to spoil my newly contented mood. Still, what other option _was_ there but to tell them? I would have to at some point.

I lowered my eyes.

"Hey," Dean grumbled, bumping me a little and drawing me out of myself, "Don't clam up."

"I – I don't want you to be angry."

He snorted wryly,

"Already fuckin' am. You really think I could ever be calm after seein' the shit they put you through back there? Princess, there were fuckin' bars on the windows. They bolted you in so you couldn't get out. No one gets away with pullin' that crap on you. Doesn't matter who the hell they are, I'll make 'em fuckin' pay. So tellin' me _how_ they got you there won't change that. They were dead the moment they touched you, alright?"

I nodded sort of mutely, stunned by the sentence but also cosseted by it as well. It made me feel safe, like Randy couldn't get to me, like Dean could chase away all the evils in my world and as it fired through me I sucked a deep breath in and decided to tell them the truth.

 _Here goes._

"Hunter – ," I stopped and faltered a little, "Hunter drugged my drink."

Seth barked at me,

"What?"

"How baby girl?" Roman asked more evenly as Dean's palm braced almost painfully against my side. Clearly he was struggling to keep down his emotions and so I fought free my hand and slipped my fingers inside, slotting them under his big tense digits and curling around them to loosen them up.

"Um, I guess he must have had me followed, because he sort of showed up in the middle of the bar."

"What bar?" Seth frowned and I shrugged back mildly,

"I don't know, just some place I wandered into, that's all."

Roman let out a deep sort of grumble and then cleared his throat,

"So he bought you a drink?"

"Actually no, he – he went and got me water," I glanced across at Dean, "He said you'd be upset."

"About what?"

It was the first time he'd spoken since I'd started and his bubbling ferocity was hard to ignore. It made me abruptly drop my gaze to our fingers, still tightly held and closely entwined,

"About me being drunk. Which is crazy because – I mean – looking back on it now, I wasn't drunk at all. He just made me feel like I was all kind of wasted and said I needed water to help clear my head. Didn't really think to even watch him as he got it – ,"

I was angry with myself, but Roman sighed,

"He's your dad."

" _Was_ ," I bit back, my brow drawing tightly, "I don't want anything to do with him now."

In response to that Dean's grip lightened up mildly and he jiggled our hands like he thought I was right. In ditching my family I was standing up on their side and that clearly pleased him.

It was us against the world.

"So then what?" Seth pressed, drawing me back again and a lump caught my throat.

The story.

 _Oh, right_.

"Then I started to feel kind of weird, like the last time when Bray – ,"

I bit my lip down.

Remembering what had happened some seven months earlier was _not_ a good way of improving my mood and honestly I couldn't help feeling kind of stupid for somehow allowing it to happen again. Letting out a sigh I untangled my fingers and dropped my head to study the quilt. I didn't want to see the looks on their faces.

I knew what they were thinking.

I was such a hopeless mess.

Clearing his throat a bit – to fight down the fury – Dean wrapped his arm with sudden purpose around my head, splaying his big warm fingers across my temple and then using them to gently steer my face back down, coaxing me flatter until I was pillowed against his collarbone, the tears wetting his shirt front.

Wait, what the –

 _Tears_?

At some point – seemingly – I had opened the floodgates and in response to it Boomer whined and placed his head against my knee. I reached a shaky hand out and tousled his ear fluff, my other digits finding and then gripping tight to Dean,

"Sssh, s'alright Lauren – ,"

"No it's not. I'm an idiot."

He gently palmed my hair back,

"Bullshit, okay? You're not. Not a damn thing he did to you is your fault, you got that?"

Seth snorted,

"You talking Hunter or Bray?"

"Both," Dean grunted before turning to me again and capturing the top of my forehead with his lips, "I'm serious Princess, you don't deserve this shit – _any_ of it, alright? This isn't on you. Roman's right. Hunter's supposed to be your father. I mean not even the three of _us_ saw this shit storm goin' down and we don't trust the guy at all. Thought at least he would keep that in-ring crap away from ya. Guess I was wrong, huh?"

I tightened my hold, balling up the front of Dean's aftershave scented t-shirt and drinking him in like he was a dose of smelling salts. The aroma was powerful and acted like medicine, lowering my heart rate and slowing my breathing down.

 _God_ I loved this man.

Seth cleared his throat again and it made me jolt a little,

"So you started feeling weird – okay – what happened then?"

"He – um," I paused as Dean brushed my tears off, gently swiping them away with his thumb, "Dragged me to his car. He – he was saying stuff. That I couldn't have both and he was sorry and things like that. I didn't really know what he meant but I knew _something_ because I didn't like it and I tried to get out. The doctor was there – ,"

Dean blinked in confusion,

"What fuckin' doctor?"

"The one who took my blood. The one who came to my hotel room last year to take the sample for the paternity test. That was when I shut you in the bathroom and after that we almost kissed. Um. Don't you remember that?"

Dean rubbed my head with knuckles,

"Course I remember. Had to go have a long cold shower after that. Did bad things that night lyin' there thinkin' 'bout 'cha – very bad things. But why the fuck was _he_ there?"

He meant the doctor although momentarily I was captured by the thought of Dean doing said bad things. It sent a wave of excitement pulsing through me, which was good since I had worried that Randy's actions might break that down.

Nope.

I still wanted – and needed – to jump my boyfriend and that was a massive relief in itself.

"Princess?"

"Huh? What?"

"I said why was the doc there?"

I shuddered a little at the memory,

"Oh, he – um – he put an oxygen mask on me, I think – I think he was making sure I was okay."

Seth snorted angrily,

"Man this is messed up. Even by _our_ standards, this is whole deal is insane."

Roman ignored him, his own tone more even in a deep and grumbly way that settled my nerves,

"What happened then baby girl?"

"I don't remember, except – ,"

I stopped pretty suddenly and Dean frowned,

"What? Princess? Don't go silent on me now, okay? What're you not tellin' us?"

"Um, Randy was there."

"What, in the car?"

"Uh huh," I looked down again and Dean's warm fingers tensed in my own,

"What did he do?"

"Nothing – well, nothing _then_ at least."

My boyfriend bit a curse back,

"What did he do?"

Apparently we were no longer talking about what happened the night that Hunter had knocked me out and hauled me off. Evidently we were suddenly talking all about Randy. They knew there was something more I wasn't saying – Kane had virtually told them that much – but having to explain it to them felt too massive and I struggled to find the right way to get it out. Besides which, saying it would make it feel real again when I had sort of been passing it off as a dream. A really vivid, really screwy nightmare but an image as opposed to an actual event.

"I – he – ,"

The words wouldn't come to me and as the panic rose up I started crying again, big hot tears streaking down my cheeks like boulders and splashing right onto the quilt beneath my chin.

"Fuck."

In an instant Dean had enveloped me, throwing his arms around me and pulling me in close. I went with it willingly, falling down against his stomach and then burrowing in deeper so I was fully snuggled up.

"Easy baby girl," Roman put in soothingly, while Seth piped up with a more stressed sounding _shit_. Boomer whined again and pawed himself closer, nuzzling my thigh with the top of his head. Dean reached out and scrubbed his ear gently before clearing his throat. His voice sounded tight,

"Princess? You're kinda freakin' me out here. Tell me what he did to you baby, let it out. I fuckin' promise I'll make it all better but first I gotta know what happened, alright?"

"He – ," I coughed then almost choked a little, the words feeling bitter, "He attacked me last night."

"Attacked?" Seth barked, but Dean was more specific,

"What does that mean Lauren?"

His heart was going mad, with my ear pressed against him I could physically hear it and what was more, I could feel it as well. Clearly he was thinking in terms of worst case scenarios and so I shook my head vaguely,

"He – he didn't get that far."

My voice was barely raised above a whisper, which was basically the only possible way to get it out. In response, Dean blew a deeply relieved little breath out and held me tighter,

"Thank fuck for that."

I shivered again,

"But he – he would have. I – I've never seen him so drunk. He was saying he thought that we should be together and that Hunter would like it and that you'd given up – ,"

My boyfriend growled, as in _physically_ growled at me,

"Never fuckin' happenin'."

I whispered,

"I know. I – I told him I didn't believe him but he wouldn't stop touching me. I tried so hard to fight. Really I did but I just couldn't do it and he was _so_ strong – ,"

Dean's grip tightened,

"Sssh, Princess calm down,"

At some unnoticed point the tears had snuck back up on me and without even knowing I was sobbing against his chest, reliving the nightmare and the fear and the emotions and hating every one of them.

"I was s-so scared – ,"

"Easy baby, easy," Dean grumbled back at me, his whole body tense, "He's not touchin' you again. Not gonna let that fuckin' asshole near you. I'm gonna break his fingers and then his fuckin' _head_."

For a minute we simply sat huddled in silence, with Dean's warm hand rubbing circles round my back. I was still snivelling and choking and making sort of clucking sounds and at every last one of them my boyfriend seemed to flinch. He was furious – _furious_ – but he was holding it back for me, staying in control because I needed him more. In reality he would rather have been putting his fists to something including Randy, our crockery and the wall but apart from the tremors that shivered through his muscles he sat just holding me and keeping me calm. Eventually, after another few minutes, I stopped grizzling long enough to add something else, slotting in the very last piece of the puzzle and pawing my soggy tear trails,

"K-Kane saved me,"

"I know."

"Fuck," Seth groaned, "Does this mean we owe him?"

Dean shook his head,

"After the New Age Outlaws shit? Nah, no way. I'd say this makes us even."

"But we're still going after Evolution, right?"

"Right."

It was funny but five days ago that sentence would have shocked me and worried me and generally made me freak out. The idea of my boyfriend going up against my father would have filled me with horror and dread.

Now? Not so much.

Hunter was dead to me – utterly dead to me – and in my dazed and broken state I didn't care if he got hurt. I didn't care if The Shield completely buried him. After everything he'd done, it was the least he deserved. My father had tricked me, drugged me and imprisoned me, then left me with a man who'd assaulted me as well. I hadn't even _seen_ him since I'd awoken on that first day.

Hunter had abandoned me and left me with no hope.

The thought made me shudder again and I clutched harder, practically pinching great handfuls of Dean's skin,

"Please don't – ," I mumbled, "Please don't let them get me. I don't think I could survive it again."

Dean kissed my cheek with sudden fierce passion,

"Don't worry about that Princess, you're not leavin' my sight. They want you, they'll have to come through me to get to ya. I'll keep you safe from 'em baby, alright?"

To steady myself, I breathed him in deeper, his t-shirt and the quilt half muffling Seth's snarl,

"So will we. I mean – hey – you're one of us now and we protect our own."

Roman nodded,

"Damn straight."

In the semi-ebbing tension that was swirling all around us, Boomer whined very lightly again, thumping his tail as I stretched a tear-stained hand out and happily licking the salty wetness away. Surrounded by my house and my boyfriend and his teammates, I felt safer and happier and utterly loved. Absently I placed a hand across the pendent now hanging back where it belonged around my neck. I felt kind of weird, like I was standing on a precipice and staring down at something, but I wasn't sure what. The last time I had felt it had been back when I'd met Hunter.

It was a feeling of having a brand new life.

Seven months back that had been a life with a father but now it was the opposite and I was cutting him loose. There would be no more chilled little daddy-daughter lunch dates or weekend visits to stay at their house. There would be no more idle girly shopping trips with Stephanie or seeing Vince as family.

That was all done.

Instead I had Dean and Seth and Roman and Boomer and I still had Kelly, so I didn't need anyone else. Perhaps that was what the last half year had taught me? Perhaps there was a lesson within the chaos I'd had to learn. My whole little life I'd yearned for a big family. The kind that argued and was crazy but filled with love. I had wanted the Christmases surrounded by relations and their updates on cousins and babies and _life_. I had wanted the big warm summer family parties and the strange little in-jokes and lovable quirks. I had wanted it so much that when I had got it, I had been so swept up I hadn't seen it for what it was. More than that, I had ignored that I already had it in the few precious people that adored me.

They were all I'd ever need.

Snuggling down deeper, I blew an even breath out and Dean kissed my nose,

"You feelin' alright?"

"I – ," I stopped, not sure how I was feeling beyond one important point, "I love you so much."

He towed me in closer and settled back against the cushions, pulling me down with him so we were almost reclined. As Boomer got up and tried to clamber in across us – acting like the tiny little lap dog he was _not_ – Seth and Roman chuckled in the background.

It was nice.

Family _._

Dean grunted,

"I gotcha Princess, you're back where you belong."

* * *

 **So, now we've had some nice, cute-style cuddling time, I think we need to get back to the wrestling world and see what happens with her old man...**


	10. Back In Business

**So, let's have ourselves a look at what daddy dearest makes of everything shall we?**

 **xXBalorBabeXx, Hunter has painted himself into a totally unwitting corner. But then, if you will be all about the glory then what does he expect? (Guilty confession) I do love heel Hunter though, face Hunter and Steph just doesn't work for me. They are the original evil first couple!**

 **Kayla English, Here you go then...here's what happens next! Yep, Steph and Hunter are pretty crazy here and while I'm sure they're perfectly normal in real life, their on screen personalities are too good not to go wild with (I think we can all agree that I've definitely done that!)**

 **Mandy, Cuddle chapters are such a guilty pleasure to write and I would probably write an entire story of them if I didn't think it might bore people after a while. Dean cuddles are just the best (theoretically and fictionally speaking that is, I wouldn't have experience of them in real life!)**

 **Wolfgirl2013, Haha, I'm a big fan of the dun dun duns! Never like wrapping things up neatly, gotta to have a reason or a twist to bring people back (a bit like wrestling in real life I suppose). Glad you're still enjoying it though. Hope this chapter continues with that!**

 **TheSilverWolff, Umm...heads up...next story Seth might turn, but hopefully I've done it in a not totally heartbreaking way and left doors opens etc. you'll have to wait and see. Also, more Lauren and Dean fluff? Happy to do it, totally love writing cute cuddly moments between these two!**

 **Morrowsong, Aww, glad you're still enjoying it, this one has been a pretty wild ride! Hunter is going to be totally out of his depth in many ways over the next two chapters, but he's also going to be typically Hunter as well. Let's just say 'pig headed' will be a good description of him!**

 **Minnie1015, I think it's safe to say he'll be the frothing-at-the-mouth-Dean when he gets to Randy. Yeah, I didn't make it too easy for her to tell the guys, but they're her family so they'll make it through. Well, sort of, until this chapter I guess, because there's always the next chapter!**

 **Skovko, Thanks for the correction, all fixed now. I must have read that thing back about a million times and never spotted it *bangs head on desk* Yeah, not easy but the guys had to know. However there's one person she's still got to break it to *waves hands dramatically* …**

 **As the title says then...**

* * *

 **Back In Business**

Despite Dean having spent the weekend talking me out of it – or _trying_ to anyway – when Monday Raw rolled back around, I was right there with them tucked up in their locker room having basically refused to park my ass at home.

In hindsight it had probably been the better option, but at the same time I hadn't wanted to be there on my own, because okay, so I would have had Boomer but I was still pretty clingy after the rescue and what I wanted and needed more than anything was Dean. Plus the tapings and the business were my world now and I wasn't prepared to let myself be driven out. If I had missed the show then I would likely have missed the next one and the next one and the next one and I couldn't let it come to that –

I couldn't and wouldn't let Hunter and Randy beat me.

This was a battle I wanted to win.

With that thought in mind Dean had reluctantly let me come with them on the proviso I keep myself back and remained out of sight. Essentially that meant being kept in the locker room or sticking with them at ringside, but I was alright with that since the important thing about it was being there _with_ them and showing my face and proving I still had fight.

Not that I felt especially confident as Dean knew full well,

"Hey, Princess, you alright?"

He had come to stand directly in front of me but in my contemplative haze I hadn't seen him step close. It meant that I responded by jolting a little and it totally threw my reassuring answer off,

"Huh, wha – uh huh, yep, I – I'm okay."

Dean swept some of my hair back,

"Because you sound like you're not. Talk to me baby, what's goin' on up here?"

Dropping his taped hand he tapped me on the temple and I responded by quickly wrapping his hand up, grabbing it in mine and grounding it against me like I could physically absorb some of the confidence he felt.

"I just – it's just – they're here in the building, they're – they're so close and – ,"

He knew what I meant and honestly it didn't take a genius to figure that I meant Hunter and Randy.

It would always be them.

They were somewhere nearby and although I was safe with my boyfriend and his teammates and bolted into the locker room I couldn't help but freak out. The thought of them being anywhere near me or even in the same damn _state_ was the worst and almost any second I expected hammering on the door frame and their terrifying voices trying to draw me out.

"Easy Lauren," Dean grumbled quietly, gazing down at me and moving in a bit. The closer proximity allowed me wearily to drop my head in and rest it across his stomach which was solid and firm, "Didn't I tell ya I wasn't gonna let 'em getcha? Meant it okay Princess? Not lettin' you get hurt."

"Maybe I should have stayed in Vegas."

Dean let out an annoyed sounding groan,

"That's what I was fuckin' tryin' to tell you – ,"

I looked up grinning mildly,

"I'm kidding."

"I'm not."

Huffing a breath out, Dean pulled me closer, winding his arms in around my shoulder blades. It pillowed down my head so I was butting against his _area_ but it was loving instead of sexual and in either case I didn't mind.

"Dean – ,"

"Don't wanna risk fuckin' losin' you all over, nearly killed me last time, won't go through that again."

My fingers reached up and anchored tight around his belt loops, breathing against him,

"I – I'll stay close."

He snorted,

"Stay close? I need to get you a fuckin' tracker, you find trouble like no one I've ever _known_."

"Don't mean to," I mumbled and he leaned in and kissed me, capturing my crown with a grumble,

"I know."

We had been at the arena for a couple of hours but flying beneath the radar to keep our profile low. The guys were dressed and ready to rumble and the tension was mounting as the three of them prepared to go. I usually loved the energy in the locker room just before the guys went out, I loved how amped and the _zingy_ the air was but this time it frightened me.

I was going to be left alone.

It was something that they had discussed with me beforehand and I had agreed, not wanting to showcase my fears. Batista and Orton were scheduled for action and the guys had decided to go down and hit the ring, to take them – and especially Randy – without warning and get a little payback for what they had done. In principle it was certainly a worthy suggestion and part of me wanted to see Randy bearing blood but as the screen up in the corner that was tuned to the taping began to play their music I suddenly froze up. Just the sight of Randy swaggering down to ringside with those cold hard eyes made my windpipe slam closed and I shut my eyes and voiced a tiny whimper that was instantly countered by Dean's hand on my chin,

"Hey, don't worry, I'll get him for you baby."

I looked up sadly,

"I h- _hate_ him."

"Then he's dead."

Dean's promise slid out easily and readily and it made me shiver just a little bit more. In response, he gently brushed his knuckles along my cheekbone and then bent down for a kiss which quickly restored the warmth.

"Be careful," I whispered as behind him Seth and Roman – now suited and booted – turned and headed for the hall. Dean's lips pressed against mine deeply for a second time and I keened just a little,

"Remember Princess, lock the door."

His fingers dove through my hair for a second, like he was grounding himself and making a note of how I felt, I didn't like the sense of finality to the moment and went to lean in closer to him,

"Dean – ,"

But then he stopped, stepping away from me and forcing on his game-face, before pointing at me warningly and tapping on the door. It made a solid metallic sounding thumping and it emphasized his point,

"Lock it, right now."

As he moved into the corridor to stand with his brothers, I shakily made my way across the room, hardly able to bring myself to do it and shut out the face that was keeping me calm.

"Don't answer it for anyone," Seth directed sharply, as my trembling fingers closed around the knob, "Not a single fucking person okay?"

Roman was more comforting, his eyes boring through me,

"You'll be fine baby girl."

But it was Dean I was watching as I swung the door reluctantly and his voice was the last of the three that I heard,

"Lock it Lauren, not goin' 'til I hear it."

I reached out and did what he wanted of me.

 _Click._

The second it was bolted there was a tiny little thudding noise and the rattle of the handle as he tested it out. That was accompanied by a soft little thudding as he lightly banged the door frame in a silent goodbye. I put my palm up against it like an idiot, wondering I would somehow be able to feel the warmth but the door was cold and reassuringly solid and within a second I couldn't hear anything at all.

Reluctantly I resumed my anxious sitting on the bench slats, my fingers gripping crazily tight against the wood. Absently I wondered if I was going to leave fingerprints or maybe little nail marks to show how tense I was. My feet pounded out an antsy little rhythm as they bumped and scraped across the thick concrete floor. The room was empty and white and claustrophobic and there was nothing I could do. My phone had gone missing when Hunter had grabbed me – along with my wallet – and I couldn't use Dean's cell. Naturally my first instinct had been to call Kelly, who I knew would be watching and who could probably keep me calm, but The Shield had snagged a room that was down in the basement and despite my best efforts, I got no signal down there.

Evidently I was just going to have to keep my mind busy and so to that end I started to scroll through Dean's aps, unable to settle on games or even music as my heart thudded painfully like a hammer in my chest.

How long had it been?

Only a _minute_?

Oh god, I was going to go crazy down here.

Dean would come back to find me trussed up in a straitjacket or drawing cartoons on the walls with my blood. I briefly debating about doing some push-ups or something else sporty but I was shaking too much. In fact, I was shaking _so_ very badly that my fingers inadvertently brought up the album on Dean's phone and at once a screen of happy images flashed in front of me, distracting me briefly as I looked down.

 _Huh_?

I had never really been a selfie sort of person, or someone who pulled out their phone very much. Most of my snaps had a thumb in one corner or had red eye or glare or were backwards or worse. Dean was much the same but a few he had done properly and those were the ones he had dutifully kept. I hadn't even looked at the majority in ages and so scrolling through them now was like a taking a mental trip.

There was an image of me and Dean in some canyon after what had been a near three hour hike. We were both of us sweaty and our hair was kind of everywhere, but Dean had ducked in and was giving my head a kiss. In response I was giggling and the shot had me mid-laughter while Dean was offering a grin of his own, eyeing the camera in a knowing sideways flicker that summed up both the day and – more importantly – our love.

The next one was of me and Boomer curled together after Dean had caught us sharing a nap. My arms were wrapped in tight around our B-Boy and in return Boomer's head was draped across my neck. Both of us were totally and utterly out of it and it so relaxed and darn cute that Dean just had to take a snap.

The next was of Kelly and me holding Roger, who was growing exponentially as little rugrats should. He also seemed to be growing sort of _outwards_ and so it had genuinely taken the both of us to hold the kid up. We were grinning though – all of us – and looking completely happy which made my mind drift to my best friend again. Kelly had been almost beside herself with anguish when I had finally given her a much needed call, both crying and yelling and gabbling incoherently while as usual threatening death on all of those who'd done me wrong.

It was safe to say that Hunter was on her shit-list but there it was again –

The family I'd had all along.

My father had been a tiny fleeting glimpse of normal-ness but maybe it had never been set to last. For god sakes, the man had people beaten for a living. How could I have ever played The Waltons with him?

Up on the screen there was a sudden flash of brightness as Randy and Batista tore The Uso boys apart. They really were like unholy rabid demons. They _oozed_ supreme arrogance and it made my fists curl up. The sooner Dean and the boys got out there, the sooner they could make them pay or worse and I found myself actually willing it to happen with a bloodlust that surprised me but didn't peter out. Any second I expected to see The Shield boys out there and I was so focused on the flat screen that I wasn't keeping watch –

It meant that when the door handle rattled I squeaked nervously and launched into the air almost like I'd been shot. Dean, Seth and Roman still weren't at ringside, so maybe they weren't actually heading out there at all. Maybe they had changed their minds and come back again, maybe it was them.

So why didn't they say that?

Crossing the distance with my heart pounding wildly, I placed my ear against the doorframe and debated calling out. If it was someone unwelcome then they would know I was in there but then again, the door was locked, so they already knew that the room was being occupied but maybe they weren't sure who it was?

Biting my bottom lip down I sucked a shaky breath in and tried to fight my fears,

"Um, who's there?"

"Lauren?"

I blinked in bewilderment,

"Matty?"

It was my erstwhile work bestie, not a demon at all.

"Hey sweetie, uh, you think I can come in there? Got something to show you."

I unlocked it at once, relief billowing out of me like a deflating blow up mattress and by the time I got the door wide I was wearing a grin.

"Thank god it's you, I thought – ,"

I stopped again, my easy features dropping into something more cold. An icy claw of fear reached out and grabbed me bodily, wrapping tight around my newly frantically beating heart. Matty was there – dead and centre in the doorway – but there was a big meaty hand clenched tight around his throat. The hand belonged to Hunter who was standing in behind him and manipulating him like some sort of puppet act.

Shit.

At once I tried to slam shut the door again but my father was stronger and simply stopped it mid-swing. He pushed Matty in and then barged past me roughly, backing me up in terror as Matty trembled and gasped.

"Laurie, girl, I – I'm so sorry."

Poor Matty seemed totally distraught and I moved up against him, needing the comfort even though he was still struggling to draw in full breaths,

"It's okay," I whispered but I was also sort of glaring because Hunter had actually injured my friend.

What was he thinking manhandling an employee?

Had he gone completely mad?

His eyes said yes. They were drawn more tightly than I had ever really seen them and were broiling with ferocity and frustration and hurt.

Hurt?

Oh yeah, he definitely looked wounded but rather than scare me, it oddly fired me up. How dare he look like I'd done something to burn him when _he_ was the one that was way out of line. How dare he use one of my best friends against me and generally run roughshod over what anyone else might want.

The guy was an asshole.

My father was an _asshole_ and I was not prepared to put up with his shit.

"Leave," I ground out, frustrated by the tremor which pierced the word as I tried to sound fierce. Briefly my gaze flickered up to the flat screen and – yep – there was Dean kicking Randy to a pulp. That gave me a brief and weird sense of satisfaction but it also meant that he wasn't likely to saunter back and there was no way that I could ever make Hunter leave physically.

I needed the cavalry.

I needed The Shield.

As Hunter stepped in closer I instinctively skittered back again, my hands held up ready to throw a defensive punch. It hadn't worked well when I'd tried it with Randy but then The Viper had managed to catch me by surprise. With Hunter I would be able to at least see him coming and if I had to defend myself them damn it, I would.

My ears were pounding and my heart rate was rocketing to the point I thought I might even pass out. My skin was prickling in sweat and anxiety and my ears were sort of buzzing almost too loud to make out words. It was why I sort of squinted at him when Hunter's lips started moving but I didn't hear a thing, responding with a _huh_ which wasn't too eloquent and made him have to say it again,

"I won't hurt you, alright?"

"No," I shook my head back, my voice sounding croaky, "I – I don't trust you."

"Lauren, I'm still your dad okay?"

"No, don't say that."

The sentence seemed to hit him a little like I'd punched him only probably weightier and more violently too. His entire body seemed to sag beneath its impact almost like I had driven the air from his lungs. The angry glaring eyes dulled ever so slightly and the hurt I saw in them drove my confidence on,

"Lauren – ,"

"No," I barked again, "Don't talk to me, I never want you to talk to me again."

He sighed just a little,

"Listen, I'm sorry – ,"

" _Sorry_ ," I choked out, "Sorry for what? Sorry that you forcibly knocked me out and had me kidnapped? Sorry that you left me all on my own? Sorry that you tried to make my boyfriend forget me? Or sorry that your protégé can't keep his hands to himself?"

Throughout the statement I'd been getting more angry, but also a good deal more tearful as well and with the mention of Randy, a tear trickled earthwards and I sucked a broken sob in.

Hunter frowned,

"What?"

Managing to sort of restore himself a little from what had clearly been a near complete choke, Matty straightened up and wrapped a wobbly arm around me, drawing himself up to his impressively tall height. Unfortunately it was lessened by the fact his waist was tiny and that his legs looked like matchsticks, but the solidarity would still count. We were united in our total and utter hatred for Hunter, so it was now two-on-one and it emboldened me,

"You heard."

"Lauren – ," he thundered, stomping in towards us with such sudden force that we both shrank back. Clearly the fact that there were two of us against him didn't much seem to bother my old man and instantly the bonus of having Matty there with me faded along with my confidence as well.

"R-Randy – ," I bleated,

"What did he do to you?"

He was almost so close that he could have swept me up, could have grabbed me and dragged me straight out of there and so I wrapped my arms around Matty's waist hard.

"He – he attacked me."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"He t-tried to f-force himself on me."

"He _what_?"

Evidently he hadn't heard that part yet, so maybe Kane hadn't passed on the word. More likely Randy had threatened him not to or else Kane hadn't wanted to rock the boat too hard. Either way Hunter seemed totally stunned by it, taking several seconds to figure it out. Finally however, he shook his head bluntly and growled just a little,

"He wouldn't do that."

I blinked in amazement because did he really not believe me?

"He – he was drunk and – ,"

"No Lauren," Hunter bit out, "Randy knows how important you are to me and he would never even think about abusing my trust like that."

Matty held me tighter, acting pretty swiftly considering he still had no idea what had gone down.

"So what? You're saying that your own daughter's lying?"

Hunter's eyes narrowed at me,

"Did Ambrose tell you to say all this?"

"What? N- _no_."

"Don't lie to me Lauren."

"I'm not – ,"

"This is why I need to keep you away from him."

He said it with a sigh like I was trying to annoy him or like I was some punky teenage tearaway with her skirt too short again. Instead he was talking about abducting me in public to keep me away from my protective and loving man who – okay – was still whaling gleefully on Randy but that was alright.

He was doing that for me.

In the strange semi-silence, Hunter moved his hand out and I genuinely didn't know what he planned to do next. My first instinct though was that he was going to grab hold of me which was why from out of nowhere I let out a scream. It was a proper movie scream too, pitchy and frightened and it made him suddenly and bodily stop. As I tailed off I channelled it a little more verbally and formed it into a desperate sounding word.

" _No_. Don't – don't touch me, I don't _want_ you to touch me. I don't want you in my life ever again."

It was still echoing in off the walls as I finished and so clinging onto Matty I waited for it to end, terrified breath tearing out of my body like I had recently been running or was stood on a mountain top. I was shaking like a leaf and my poor head was spinning and for the first time since he'd barged in, Hunter seemed unsure. It was possible he thought he was in danger of breaking me – maybe not physically but mentally or both – and although he clearly wanted me with him, he didn't know how to handle a hysterical screaming shell.

"Lauren – ,"

"No," I screamed again too loudly, as I caught sight of The Shield boys still in the ring. They had managed to chase off Randy and Batista which meant that soon they would be heading on back. I just needed to make sure Hunter didn't grab me for another five minutes and then I would be safe. In the interim however, Matty held me tighter and put a warning hand out,

"Leave her alone."

"I already told you I'm not going to hurt her."

Matty snorted wryly,

"Sounds like you _have_."

"Please – ," I murmured, my head in Matty's collarbone and muffled by his shirt front, "Please Hunter, just go. If you love me like you say you do, you'll let me be happy and stop trying to make me be anything like you."

"I do love you Lauren."

I closed my eyes wearily,

"Go then, please just – please can't you leave me alone?"

For a second it seemed like he was going to debate it and stand his ground to argue some more, but then a fourth person joined in the gathering, wearing a headset and looking unsure.

"Um, Mr. Helmsley?"

" _What_?" Hunter barked at him, sending the other man about a foot in the air,

"Uh – I'm sorry but something has happened and you're needed in the office about – um – ,"

The guy slowly stopped, pointing towards the flat screen with the tip of a ballpoint and indicating Randy and Batista limping up the ramp. Even to someone not watching the match-up it was obvious their asses had been handed to them on a plate and seeing his surrogate son in discomfort, briefly caught Hunter in measures of concern.

"Shit."

Well, okay, concern and annoyance and he looked back slowly, his brows drawn into a frown.

"Go," Matty put in, more darkly than I'd expected and cutting Hunter off before my father could even ask. In response to it the bigger man dithered for a second, glancing between the door and my newly tear-soaked face. Something akin to remorse flickered mildly and then he growled and was suddenly angry again.

"Fine, have it your way," Hunter barked warningly, any hint of gentleness gone from his tone. He was going though, stalking his ass back towards the doorway and shunting past the guy with the oversized headset on, "It's done this time, I've tried with you Lauren, you're going to have to do this all on your own. Don't come crying to me when Ambrose breaks you and leaves you, just remember this conversation – ,"

"He won't break me, _you_ will."

It was my parting shot and it stopped him in the doorway, so that for a very brief second I wished I'd stayed schtum, but luckily it only seemed to make him more determined to throw me – at least as he saw it – to the proverbial wolves,

"Don't expect me to go easy on him either, I won't hold back because of you now. The Shield are going down and if you insist on going with them, mark my words Lauren, then you will as well."

Then he let, like a damn cartoon villain, missing only the swishing of a long dark cape. Matty and I stood in silence for a moment until we were totally sure he was actually gone and then my lanky gay friend blew a pent-up breath out and shook his head dazedly,

"Well, that was fun."

In response I broke down and bawled against his t-shirt and he hauled me closer and let me cry it out. I sobbed for what seemed like seconds or maybe hours, barely knowing what was happening as the tears choked my throat. I was still bawling baby-like when another voice broke in on us, rough and instantly moving itself to red alert,

"What the fuck is goin' on in here?"

I looked up towards it puffy-eyed,

" _Dean_."

He held out his arms and I crossed the space towards him, hitting him hard and then bawling again. In response he wrapped me up and shushed my sobbing gruffly but I could tell he was confused and madder than hell. Across the room behind us, Matty heaved a breath out and slumped onto a bench.

"Get comfy, it's quite a tale."

* * *

 **Aww, I've missed Matty!**

 **Okay, so I won't lie, this was actually the second to last chapter in what has become a rolling arc of stories and will be shortly followed by the next one which will jump us on a little bit again. But before that, we've got the big showdown for this story and let's just say, Lauren finds her balls!**

 **See you there!**


	11. A Promise

**Right then folks, the last chapter in this story before we time jump to the next one (as ever, details below) and it's safe to say that the battle lines are drawn here and everyone picks whose side they're on.**

 **TheSilverWolff, In the wacky world of wrestling there is always potential for enemies to reunite, so never say never for Lauren and Hunter...just don't expect it any time soon! Yeah, I know, Seth's heel turn was horrible but I had to do it...it was too big not to! Always happy to read your reviews!**

 **Wolfgirl2013, If you're hoping for Hunter to step up and be a good daddy then I'm afraid you're going to be very disappointed, he's too deep in heel mode to see the light! But Lauren certainly chooses where she's at here and finds her inner warrior (sort of at least!) Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Sodapop25, Hey girl, glad you're still enjoying it and have it through to (another) end. Hope to see you when I put up the next one (I'll explain more about that right down at the end) Thanks for your reviews!**

 **xXBalorBabeXx, Yep, this is very much Lauren's hear me roar chapter, except in her case it's kind of more like a squeak, but still, it's a start, besides which Hunter deserves it, because you're right he had completely messed up! Once again my lovely, thank you for reviewing!**

 **Raze Olympus, First question, which military and department are you setting on me? I like to be prepared. Secondly, I'm glad you enjoyed having Matty back. I missed his sassiness far too much! Hunter certainly gets a beating here, but maybe not in the physical sense? Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Mandy, I know, I know, I'm way too mean to her, but on the plus side it's that whole what doesn't kill you makes you stronger shtick. Besides, she's got Dean to make everything better in his gruff Dean way and I won't take that away! Thanks again for always reviewing and making me smile!**

 **Minnie1015, Haha, agreed Dean and Lauren forever and screw everyone else (except for Seth and Roman, until Seth betrays then and then only Roman!) Yep, Hunter has definitely burnt his bridge and he stamps on it too in this one (oops!) As ever, thank you so much for your lovely reviews!**

 **Skovko, Kane is trying to lie low and make out like it was all some crazy coincidence that she got out I think! Besides, he always seemed like the least loved child in the authority family, so they probably haven't even thought about it being him. Thanks for your reviews my lovely!**

 **Also, I hope/think you'll all like the very end here...**

* * *

 **A Promise**

By the time Matt had finished imparting the story, Dean was so angry I thought he would explode. Mostly I was worried that he was angry at me again, for being such an idiot and opening the door but fortunately his antipathy was solely reserved for Hunter and a little bit at Matt for being in on the ruse as well.

"She's supposed to be your fuckin' friend asshole."

Matt frowned mildly,

"He was _choking me to death_."

"It – it's my fault, don't blame Matty," I wailed in response as Roman passed some tissue across, "You told me not to open the door to anyone and I – I did, I'm sorry."

Dean let out a groan, stowing his anger as best as he was able and holding me tightly,

"M' not angry at you, I'm angry I wasn't fuckin' here to protect you."

"Matty protected me."

The runner heaved a breath, sticking his chest out in an attempt to look manly and instantly making the others doubt what I had said,

"Well," Matt shrugged, "I felt kind of responsible, so there was no way I was going to let the big idiot just drag her off."

Seth sort of grunted,

"Well, then thanks for the help man, although she wouldn't have fucking needed it if you hadn't lured her in."

Matt's eyes rolled again in annoyance,

"Um, did I not mention the whole being choked thing?"

"Yeah," Roman shot back, unimpressed, "Twice now."

Faced with their displeasure, Matty chose wisely to leave us, giving my pinky a squeeze of _I'm sorry_ which I responded to with a smile from the depths of Dean's chest. Once again being back with him had almost totally soothed me although on the mental side of things I was still shaken up.

"Someone is gonna have to teach him a lesson."

"Matty?" I barked,

Dean frowned,

"Your old man. The guy just doesn't want to take no for an answer and it's about time someone made him give this shit up. _Fuck_. If he'd have dragged you away again – ,"

"He didn't," I whispered, interrupting, "I'm fine."

"Yeah," Dean snorted, "You're real fine Lauren, shakin' like a leaf and cryin' your eyes out – ,"

"But at least I'm still here."

His arms tightened around me.

"You need to go."

"I need to – what now?"

Hearing my confusion, Dean repeated it, his gruff tone even and hard,

"You need to go."

"But – but why do I?"

It was Roman who decided to helpfully fill the blanks in, sighing a little as I blinked in alarm.

"The three of us have got ourselves a match later,"

"Okay," I nodded, "Can't I be at ringside with you?"

" _No_ ," Dean's sharp retort jolted me slightly but in the same breath he leant down and kissed me as well, "Sorry Princess, no way, not this time."

"Why – why not?"

His determination was unsettling as was Seth's cursing and Roman's even gaze,

"We're going to be pretty outnumbered on this one, better if you're not out there with us baby girl."

"Outnumbered?" I repeatedly, with a growing uncertainty and gazing between them, "What does outnumbered mean?"

"Eleven on three."

I drew a sudden breath in, panic shooting through me,

"Was that – was that my dad?"

Seth barked sharply,

"Who else makes the rules here?"

I gripped Dean's shirt tightly,

"Oh god, oh god, this is all because of me, I'm so sorry, if you'd never have met me – ,"

"Then life would be pretty fuckin' bland," Dean put in suddenly, cutting off my panicking and cupping my face in his rough taped up hands. He levered up my gaze and stared down at me intently with a lightness that in no way matched how he felt,

"But – ,"

"No _buts_ Princess, can't live without you, so if I'd never met ya, I'd be pretty fucked."

My hands trembled lightly,

"So what are you going to do out there?"

Dean's lips brushed mine gently,

"Same thing we always do. Kick asses and take names, I mean, we've been in worse jams."

Roman chuckled roughly in agreement,

"Oh yeah."

Honestly I didn't buy their bravado for a second but it wasn't just for me that they were putting on a front. It was also for themselves, to get the juices flowing and to get them in headspace of believing they could win.

"I want to stay with you."

Dean shook his head at me,

"Can't focus if you're out there, they'll be over you like fuckin' white on rice."

"But – ,"

"Sorry Princess, no arguments on this one, I'm packin' you up and sendin' this pretty ass back to the hotel. Same deal there, alright? Don't open the door to anyone. Not Matty, not room service, not even fuckin' Santa Claus."

I snorted a little but the amusement died quickly, as I realized that Seth was busy packing up their stuff, bundling their gear into their three respective gym bags like they were getting the hell out of there, although it wasn't quite like that. They were preparing to have to high tail it out of there. They were planning on winning and then getting out of dodge. If I had their things in the rental all waiting, then they could get to the hotel and we could race off from there.

It was weird but also very vaguely comforting to know that the three of them always had a plan. Eleven on three was by no means easy, but they were The Shield and they believed they could win. That sense of confidence was weirdly infectious and so I found it much easier to buy into as well. Even so, being sped down the corridor moments later in the usual protective format made my overburdened heart start to jolt. The thought of Randy jumping out on us was frightening and the more I imagined it, the more I wanted to stay put. I didn't want to be anywhere Dean wasn't and that included our comfortable hotel.

Fortunately however, by the time I had decided that, we had managed to make the parking lot and find our rental car.

"Dean – ,"

He knew almost instantly that I was trying to argue and raised his index finger to place it over my lips,

"Nope, nuh uh, don't fuckin' wanna hear it, if I do one thing tonight then it's gettin' you outta here."

"I don't want to leave you, what if something happens?"

"Hey," Dean raised my chin up, "We've made it this far haven't we? You an' me? Beatin' the odds every day? I figure we got at least one more night in us, but I might come home a little banged up. So I'm gonna need you to have the ice packs ready and some pain pills and maybe a sexy little nurses' outfit – ,"

" _Dean_."

I snorted and slapped his chest very lightly, stopping abruptly as he dropped his head down. The parting kiss he gave me was deep and ferocious and it took my breath away and filtered right through my soul. It was broken as Seth slammed the trunk down heavily, having thrown all their bags in,

"Okay, you're good to go."

Reluctantly Dean's hand trailed down to my elbow and I trembled at the contact, wishing the touch would never stop. Our eyes bored into each other sort of finally and I didn't like that and how ultimate it felt. Beside us Roman stepped in silently and handed across the jingling keys.

"Stay safe Lauren," he ground out constructively as Dean turned and helped me clamber up into the seat, that same solid hand still wrapped around my elbow as if he was trying to eke out every second he could get,

"Princess," he murmured as I slid on the seatbelt, his gaze growing serious, "Don't watch, okay?"

Then he slammed the door shut and stood back staring as I reluctantly fired the rental into life. I paused in hesitation until Seth shooed me bodily and then bit out a sigh and took the handbrake off, pulling away from my grim looking boyfriend and his brothers who – over the months – had essentially become my own.

I felt like I was sort of running out on them.

Probably because I totally was.

The three of them had been there for me – especially Dean – constantly but in their own hour of need, I was driving away.

 _Ugh._

I watched in the rearview as the figures got smaller, until only Dean was left standing in place. He disappeared the moment I drove round the arena's corner and as he slid from sight my heart lurched again. Frankly the whole thing was utterly crushing and I hated it – hated it – with everything I had. But how could I help them without landing myself in trouble? If I went crashing in there I was sure to make things worse. Hadn't Dean already bailed me out enough times? Would he have to keep doing it for the rest of our lives? Reluctantly I decided to do as he had told me and joined the line to get out of the lot.

Surprisingly there were quite a few cars already waiting, no doubt filled with those who were attempting to beat the rush. Why anyone would buy tickets to watch the wrestlers and then leave before main match was completely beyond me, but at least sitting in traffic as the security box cleared us meant that I had a few minutes more to clear my head. Driving in traffic while fretting about my boyfriend was a sure fire way to end up crossing lanes, or ending up in a collision or a million other factors that neither myself or Dean would need.

There were several rows of cars stacked side by side waiting and when I glanced to my left, I could see a tiny screen. The people that were leaving were watching The Shield match live on their tablet when they could have seen the thing for real. Still, it was probably better I didn't complain too hard, since it allowed me to see what was happening myself.

Crap.

The Shield were just clambering through the ring ropes and standing pretty tall while the wolves prowled outside, the sheer numbers of their competitors – when they finally gathered – was pretty gut wrenching and ridiculously large. Eleven men had sounded pretty drastic from the outset, but seeing them forming was like watching a _clan_. There was simply no way that my boys were going best them.

Dean wouldn't need ice, he would need a transplant.

To begin with they actually started pretty admirably, managing to keep the great horde from the ring, but pretty much from the moment the ever eager bell rang the writing was on the wall .

Yet I couldn't not watch.

Something was bubbling and rising inside of me, something I hadn't ever really felt before. It was a sense of resolve and growing emotion as well as a decision on what needed to be done. Before I even knew what I was actually doing, I was flinging the door open and scrambling out, ignoring the hooting from the cars queued behind me as I turned towards the arena and ran.

 _Hold on Dean, hold on, I'm coming._

I wasn't sure I could help him but I knew I had to try.

Luckily I was still wearing my lanyard and so I was able to swiftly pass security by, panting and breathless and already sweating with exertion and unhealthiness and a million other things besides.

It wasn't a good idea to hit the backstage area and so I decided to make a Shield-style approach, not wanting to run into Stephanie or Randy or anyone else who might be stalking the halls. Instead I took the well-trodden pathway from the corridors out into to the bright concessions hall which lay virtually dead as the entire arena stood watching my boyfriend getting beaten up.

Nice.

What it did mean however was that I could enter unnoticed and I burst through the doors as a hot sweaty mess. The whole place was buzzing with excitement and tension and glancing down towards the ring it wasn't hard to see why. Three black clad bodies lay scattered between the ring ropes, while three figures more prowled around them inside.

My heart turned over and then exploded almost bodily.

 _Crap and double crap._

Randy, Batista and my dad.

Not only had Dean and the boys taken a mugging but then damn Evolution had strutted out as well. Hoping to cash in on the obvious easy pickings and demolishing the final cornerstone of any love or trust we'd had.

Hunter was the enemy and he was hurting my boyfriend.

I needed to get in there.

I needed to make him stop.

Once again I found my feet moving almost on instinct, cutting through the crowd and flying wildly down the steps. It was sort of miracle I didn't break my ankle or fall and chip my ass or anything worse but I managed it – just – and hit the ground shakily before trying to figure out how the hell I would get in.

The security guards were all facing outwards, poised and ready for people to jump through. Given that I was neither a wrestler or an athlete I didn't see myself as having too great a chance and was desperately debating trying to _bull_ my way in there when I heard Michael Cole shout out loudly,

" _Batista bomb_."

The image of Seth's limp body hitting the matting made me actually physically wince, but at the same time I was granted a burst of inspiration and began to surge towards it.

The commentary team.

As a small and generally crazy polite person, elbowing through front-row wrestling fans was pretty tough, but I managed it by kind of diving through them like a lightning bolt and apologizing in an almost constant loop as I went,

"Excuse me, I'm sorry, coming through, I'm so sorry – ,"

At one point I think I kicked over someone's drink but it honestly didn't matter to me all that much, because I got to the barricade then swiftly reached over and grabbed a handful of a shirt up,

"King."

Turning round blinking to see who had grabbed him, Jerry Lawler gaped back in amazement,

"Lauren?" realizing he had said it across the microphone he quickly fumbled with then ripped his headset off, glancing towards the ring in obvious apprehension for myself and my boyfriend and more than likely, his job, "What are you doing? You really shouldn't be here."

I put out a hand to him,

"I need to get in."

"What?"

"I need to get in there and help them."

"What in the world? Are you crazy?"

"Please King, _please_."

There was a security guard suddenly fast bearing down on me and I flinched as he reached out a hand to haul me back. If I didn't get in there then the whole thing would be wasted and I would have failed both The Shield and more importantly, Dean. From over at the desk I had drawn a larger audience as both JBL and Cole peered in astonishment back at me. But none of that mattered as the security guard reached his digits out and tried to shunt me off.

Then Jerry stood up.

Stepping towards me he leant across the barricade and put his hands on my hips, easily helping me hop up. At the same time he managed to waft away the tense bouncer and I swung my legs up and dropped down on the other side.

"Lauren, I still don't think this is sensible – ,"

I panted a little breathlessly,

"Well, my boyfriend _is_ the lunatic fringe."

Then with that I glanced towards the ring posts just in time to see Dean go crashing to the mat, his body limp and slackened with exhaustion, carrying him as close to lights out as I'd seen. Almost at once Hunter reached down to grab him, tangling up his fingers in the beautiful scruffy locks.

"No," I yelled then once again I was moving and I slid beneath the ropes and threw myself over him. As in physically _threw_ myself onto Dean's body and draped myself across him like some strange living rug. He let out a little grunt of confusion but was far too out of it to realize who I was. His poor chest heaved in frantic breaths underneath me and he was dripping with sweat and almost trembling with pain.

"What the – Lauren?" Hunter barked above me, as around us the arena grew suddenly oddly hushed. Clearly people hadn't been enjoying the three man torture and were decidedly uneasy about what fate would befall me. To be honest I was of much the same mindset but I was determined to save things _somehow_ and so continued to cover Dean, dropping my nose against his nape and then inhaling him, steadying myself on the damp but calming scent.

"No," I mumbled again resolutely and Hunter stumbled back in astonishment,

"You can't be here."

"I'm not going to let you hurt him."

"Lauren – ," Hunter sounded angry, but then again, so was I.

" _No_ ," I repeated, only louder, sort of screaming it so that the impassioned sounding bellow filtered out into the crowd.

"Evolution sucks," someone yelled back gruffly and more voices joined in until the whistles were ringing out, joined by a chorus of boos and cat-calling as the audience made sure their unhappiness was heard.

For a second Hunter just stood there and took it, trying to process what the hell was going on. His usually narrowed eyes were still wide in amazement and for a second he was just my worried father again, seeing his daughter in the middle of a warzone and wanting to get her the hell out of dodge. That sense shivered through me and took me right back to the time when I had loved and completely trusted him, then Dean coughed weakly and the anger swept in again.

Hunter had done this.

Hunter had hurt my boyfriend and there was no earthly way I could forgive him for that. Randy however, was working purely on malice and brushing past Hunter he ground a sentence out, clearly getting tired of the growing chants of _pussy_ and aiming to send a stark message to them all. He grabbed at my hair and I squeaked out a little, fighting to resist as he tried to pull me up,

"You want to side with them?" he yelled, half-bent over me, "Then you take the same punishment. This is how it ends."

Stumbling to my feet with my face screwed in agony, I spun around and ended up Hunter's way again. He was still standing silently but he looked almost startled as if he had finally clued in to how his precious Randy was. Not that Orton wasn't still his favoured golden boy but he finally had a glimpse of how Randy and I were and the familiar way The Viper seemed to put his hands on me. I could see the cogs turning and then clicking.

I hadn't lied.

Hunter now believed that Randy had attacked me and as realization hit him, he pushed The Viper off, stepping between us and backing him up a pace while shielding me slightly. Randy grunted,

"What's up boss?"

"No," Hunter grumbled, with effort, "Don't touch her."

"But she's one of them."

"Don't _touch_ her, alright?"

Continuing to move, Hunter slowly walked him backwards, shepherding his protégé out of the ring. For a second I had assumed he was going to take my side and throw his arms around me and admit I had been right but evidently the big face-turn wasn't happening and when it came to down to it, we were still standing on very different sides. Our relationship was broken and wouldn't ever be repaired again but he still cared just _enough_ to try and stop me from getting hurt.

That was my trump card.

I had saved Dean, I had done it.

Somehow I had managed to chase Evolution off.

Still, it wasn't a completely done deal yet and Hunter stood watching me, his face a complex mask. There were flashes of emotion and – maybe even – love in it, as well as betrayal and anger and fight _._ Somewhere within it was a nod to our biology and the knowledge that there would always be a unbreakable link. But beyond that fact we were making our choices and doing it physically in front of the whole world.

My choice was Dean and his choice was Randy.

Hunter's eyes flashed.

 _May the best man win._

I didn't look down again until they'd disappeared completely, at which point I sunk onto my knees and shook roughly at Dean,

"Are – are you okay? Please, _please_ wake up for me."

He grumbled a little in response to that,

"Mmm?"

Turning him over – which took some real effort since my boyfriend wasn't an especially small man – I cupped Dean's face and tapped on it gently before trying a new tactic and kissing him.

That worked.

His blue orbs slowly slid open in confusion and landed on my face, before getting lost within his brow. He looked so bewildered and groggy and _adorable_ that I wanted to hold him and never let go.

"L'ren? Princess? What're y' doin' here? Didn't I – didn't I 'ready send y' home?"

I stroked his face, inhaling the contact and smiling just a little,

"You idiot, you _are_ my home."

"You mean y' came back?"

"I couldn't let them hurt you."

Dean eyes widened suddenly,

"If they put their hands on you I'll – ,"

"Dash," I intoned, palming his cheek bone and trying to soothe him, "I'm alright, I'm fine."

I knew that he would probably go totally ballistic when he eventually saw the footage but for the moment he was content and as the others began to rouse themselves slowly, he gingerly sat up.

"How did y' get out here?"

"I – um – I came the same way we always do."

He winced and wrapped a hand around his ribcage where he'd taken the main beating and hurt,

"You came in through the _crowd_?"

"Uh huh, King had to help me over the barricade."

"Y' did that f' me?"

I blinked in surprise.

Around us Seth and Roman were grumbling heavily and wearily stumbling up onto their feet. I glanced at them both, making a mental list of injuries and watching as their confusion turn into alarm. It was nice that they were both instantly worried and I could see them silently appraising me in turn. Trying to work out if I had picked up any grievances or had taken any knocks.

Happily there were none.

"Yep," I replied, swiftly turning back to Dean again and wrapping my arms around him, "I love you too much."

He responded by pulling me in against his shoulder and breathing in my hair as my face pillowed his neck. His embrace was almost crushing but it was fierce with emotion and so I gladly let him do it before the eyes of the world. It didn't really matter that everyone was watching us, as far I could see, it was only me and Dean.

"Princess," he grumbled, pulling back slightly so he could murmur gruffly into my ear, "Don't take this as the real deal or nothin' because it isn't and when I do it, I'm gonna do it right, but just – just _promise_ me that someday when I ask ya, you'll fuckin' say _yes_ to bein' my wife."

My heart rolled over in a burst of elation.

 _Precipice._

 _New life._

Those were good things.

I gripped him tighter and then let out a giggle, ignoring the cameras as they swam back and forth. Tangling his wild hair up in my fingers, I teased through it lovingly my emotions aglow. I had never meant anything more in my whole life and I needed him to know that, so I kissed him again,

"I will _._ "

* * *

 **That's the promise from the title then folks, he wants her to marry him at some point when he can figure out how to ask her properly (he's kind of awkward and clueless about these things!**

 **For the next story about these two we jump forward a little to...well, it's going to be called The Destruction of the Shield, so I guess that makes it kinda obvious. I know, I know, we all hated that period, but hopefully I've done it so it doesn't super hurt. I will start to post that up after Wrestlemania, so check back folks, because this crazy couple isn't done (plus the next story is even longer...I'm learning, see?!)**

 **Thank you all!**


	12. Sequel Update

**I always mean to do one of these updates but then usually forget, so this is me remembering!**

 **Just to let you know that Dean and Lauren are now back in 'The Destruction of the Shield,' so if you're interested in the next crazy chapter of their lives then please check it out and let me know what you think.**

 **Thanks all and thank you for supporting me!**


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